Honey's Hearth's Warming Tale

Chapters

Meet: Honey Lodestar
Meet: Tungsten Wolfe
Time To Go Shopping
Gift-Making Time
Sweet And Metallic
Getting To Know Each Other
Explaining Their Feelings
The Melting Point
Hurt And Comfort
Snowbattle!
The Warming Of Hearts

Meet: Honey Lodestar

This is a Hearth’s Warming Tale that defies most expectations. A rather recent one that many point to when they think about how to manage their emotions in stressful situations.

This is the tale of Honey Lodestar…

“Hm-hm-hm…Hearth’s Warming Eve is here once again….”

An adult mare was just finishing putting the decorations around her home in Canterlot. Being an earth pony, it took a bit more effort on her part to put things up since she couldn’t just levitate things around like unicorns could.

“Stupid garland. Why won’t you stay up…?”

Just then, a familiar voice called out to her from nearby.

“Hey, Honey! Are you free to go shopping tonight?” Lemon Hearts asked as she trotted up to her friend while wearing a pink scarf.

Honey Lodestar was an earth pony mare with a burnt sienna--or reddish brown--coat, a flowing, red mane of messy strands with an equally red and frizzled tail, yellow eyes, and a set of seven honeycomb as her cutie mark. She was currently wearing a black and yellow scarf to keep her warm against the cold.

“Huh? Oh, uh…I can’t. I um--” the drew her hoof against the snow in the ground in an idle manner. “I’m…busy tonight.”

Lemon threw her head back with a groan. “Ughh. Don’t tell me you’re gonna be standing outside of the castle waiting for you-know-who again. Why don’t you just go talk to him?”

“I-I will…soon…” Honey shyly rubbed one hoof against the other.

It had been months worth of working up the courage to speak to a particular stallion who acted as one of Twilight’s Royal Guard. Even if it was mostly a ceremonial position, the gentlecolt in question was special to her…

“...the accident was a long time ago, but it still feels as if it was yesterday,” Honey went on.

Lemon knew exactly what she was referring to, and her expression dropped. “Ah…yeah, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been insensitive towards you. It must be hard coming up with a gift idea for the guy that saved your whole family from your last home burning down.”

Indeed. The whole motivation for Honey was to get closer to the stallion that had saved her life…

“Hang on! We’re getting you all out of here!”

The flames of Tirek’s final attack had ravaged Canterlot, leaving many homes in shambles as everyone was rushed out and to safety.

Honey Lodestar was trapped under the burning wreckage of her home along with her family, but thanks to the efforts of numerous Guardsponies, they were saved.

However, one in particular went above and beyond to save Honey.

“There’s someone still in there, boss!”

“It’s too late, Tungsten! Fall back!” his superior ordered.

But the stallion refused. “I ain’t lettin’ ‘em die!”

“If you take that risk, I’m discharging y--!”

Not only did Tungsten continue to refuse, but he removed all of his armor before storming the building. “Court martial me when I get back, sarge.”

Tungsten raced into the building, diving and weaving through the burning wood, suffering numerous singes and burns in the process. But eventually, he found the source of the screaming, an earth pony mare and her mother.

“Hang on, I’ve got you!”

With a swift buck from his hind legs, Tungsten shattered the burning wood and hoisted both mares onto his back before stampeding out of the building just before it fully collapsed in on itself.

Though Tungsten suffered various third-degree bodily burns in the process...but Honey and her mother were both safe. Knowing that made it easier for him to relax as he flopped to the ground in an unconscious state.

“...He went through hell just to get me and my mom to safety,” Honey went on as she recalled that fateful day. “As much as most ponies try to claim the Royal Guard is useless, they showed their true colors when they saved us during that emergency.”

“No kidding,” Lemon replied, “They pretty much locked Canterlot down to make sure Tirek didn’t destroy it. Even I was scared…” She flicked her tail and shifted away from that horrid memory towards something more positive. “Alright, so what’s his name again? I wanna help if I can.”

“His name is Tungsten Wolfe,” Honey explained with a wistful sigh and a dreamy look in her eye. “He almost got discharged for going against the orders of his captain, but Twilight made sure he stayed in service and he’s the official leader of the Canterlot Fire Team--or CFT.” But then, Honey raised a brow and glared at Lemon with an uncertain expression, “Er…wait a minute. You’re gonna…help me? How? Don’t tell me you’re gonna do me up in one of your silly frou-frou makeup routines.”

Lemon giggled with a snort and shook her head. “No no! Don’t worry, we learned our lesson from last time. Kemuri nearly set the place on fire when she got excited.”

“You’re telling me. Last time, my entire head looked like a phoenix’s nest,” Honey faux-gagged and stuck out her tongue, “Blech. Speaking of which, wonder if she’s around today? She might be able to help too.”

“If she is, let’s have her join us. Don’t worry, we’re not gonna do anything crazy,” Lemon encouraged her, “We just need to help you speak with him is all. Think about what he likes and we could help you pick out a gift for him at one of the stores. Sound good?”

“Hm…yeah, not a bad idea,” Honey agreed. “I’ve been so busy with my beekeeping job that I must’ve lost track in regards to where the best places to shop for gifts are. I’d appreciate it if you could help me with that, Lemon.”

The yellow unicorn nudged her along. “No problem, Hon! I’m actually not very busy right now myself. The bakery’s all closed up for the moment, so I’m free. And then you could probably take him as your plus-one to the Hearth’s Warming Ball at the castle!”

Honey nervously grit her teeth at the proposition. She could barely get near the stallion without turning into a pile of mush. How in Puddinghead’s name was she gonna ask him out?!

“...One step at a time, please,” she begged, “I can feel my stomach turning already.”

“Don’t worry, that’s just the butterflies!” Lemon assured her.

But Honey shook her head and faux-gagged once more with a snide grin on her face. “Nope…definitely indigestion from the Tasty Treat.”

“I told you to go easy on the curry, didn’t I?”

“Shuddup.”

Meet: Tungsten Wolfe

Yes indeed. Tungsten Wolfe was a renowned emergency rescue pony known for his bravery and skill in the field. His demeanor outside of the field however…was something else entirely.

The Royal Guard’s shift change began, and Tungsten made his way to the stallion’s showers.

“Ach…what a pain in the flank,” his deep, suave masculine voice muttered aloud as he went under one of the showers to get clean.

True to his namesake, Tungsten had a silver-gray coat with a mane of chiseled white in a short buzzcut with a similar color and shape to his tail as well. His eyes were blue and his cutie mark was a gold shield with blue flames emitting from behind it.

However, the most notable detail of his body was the numerous healed scars and burns that he had acquired over his years of service. Particularly, a vertical scar that traveled down his left eye--which thankfully still worked--as well as various healed burns that gave his body a spotty look with deformed blackened areas.

But that never stopped him.

“Sentry. Cantus. How ya’ll doin’?”

Indeed, Flash Sentry had stepped into the locker room with another guard named Leo Cantus.

“Jeez,” the orange pegasus commented with a chuckle as he flew over to his locker. “You knew it was us before we even got in here, huh? Guess that’s why you’re the ‘Wolfe.’”

Next to Flash Sentry, a large, burly unicorn stallion with an indigo color scheme, blonde mane, and a castle wall for a cutie mark. “He’s right, mate,” Leo spoke in a thick Austailian accent, “I ain’t nevah seen a bloody scoundrel with as many magic holes and fire lit under his bum since me great-grandad. I reckon you’re in top shape you are.”

Tungsten paused in the midst of washing his mane and stared at Leo as if he had three heads with his eyes wide open. “...what in the fresh Tartarus heck you just say?”

Flash opted to translate. “He’s basically saying you’re doing a damn good job, brother. But I’m just glad we’ll all get some time off for the Holidays. You guys are gonna head home to your families I assume?”

“Ken oath--yeah,” Leo replied, then looked at Tungsten. “What about you, lad?”

“Think I might head on down to the Hearth’s Warmin’ Ball,” the firestallion muttered as an option, “Before I head out to stay with my folks that is.”

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that!” Flash slapped his forehead with his hoof, “I gotta see if Princess Twilight would be up to going with me. What about you, Leo?”

“I’ve already got someone, gents,” the large stallion’s hooves thundered against the floor as he trotted along to get some items from his locker. “Wolfie boy?”

“Me?” Tungsten gasped as he turned the shower off and stepped away to shake off the excess water, causing his mane and tail to frizz up. “I ain’t really thought about it too much. I mean, I got a few options in mind, but I ain’t exactly jumpin’ at the chance for ‘em, ya feel me?”

“I think you should at least consider it,” Flash suggested, “You could stand to be a bit more sociable. You’re always so wrapped up in your work, Tungsten.”

Once his body was dry, Tungsten grabbed his saddlebag and threw it over his body before trotting out of the locker room. “Listen, boy. There’s a reason why I do what I do.”

Flash decided to pursue him and bid Leo goodbye. “I’ll catch up with you later, Lion.” He then spread his wings and took after Tungsten, “Hey, Tung wait up!”

“Yeah yeah, hope ya have a blast, eh?” Leo replied as he finished gathering up his belongings.

With Tungsten…

Flash had caught up to him and decided to speak more directly. “Alright, man. What’s up? Something on your mind?”

“...Guess you could say that,” Tungsten replied with a roll of his eyes, “You ain’t exactly the first pony that’s mentioned somethin’ about my schedule.”

“Sorry, I’m just worried about you,” Flash landed upon the floor and folded his wings in. “You take all the extra shifts and dangerous jobs to do with escaped monsters. It’s like you’re trying to get yourself killed or something.”

Tungsten scoffed and flicked his tail. “Don’t worry about me, brotha. Like I said, I do what I do for a reason.”

“Okay but what about those burns?” Flash asked, “You know we have magic that could remove those from your body, right?”

Tungsten tilted his head downwards, shielding his eyes from view for a moment. “...Sentry. Each one of these scars and burns tells a story. A story that I refuse to forget.”

“But why?” Flash persisted, perhaps against his own better judgement, but he couldn’t stand seeing a friend overwork himself. “Why cling to the past so much, man?”

Tungsten sighed, knowing full well that Flash’s persistence couldn’t be ignored forever. His expression softened as he shut his eyes and relented. “...brotha. It’s all I got. My home life wasn’t exactly nothin’ special. My folks did they best to keep me protected and sheltered all my young life. No playin’ with other kids, stuck bein’ homeschooled, and constant piano lessons…” He let loose a small shudder from his lips as he recalled his rather uneventful past. “Brrgh…it’s what drove me to enlist in the first place.”

Twas a common staple for many foals who were coddled in their earlier years. As soon as they get the taste of freedom, they wish to do and experience extremes that they previously weren’t allowed to.

“...I get it now,” Flash replied, “You felt so…cramped by your overbearing parents that you wanted to experience some real danger for a change, huh?”

Tungsten couldn’t deny it; Flash had hit the nail on the head. “Somethin’ like that, yeah. I also kinda wanted to prove that the Royal Guard is actually worth something. That we’re more than just ponies who stand around gates all day.”

“...considering your track record,” Flash noted the burns on Tungsten’s body, “I think you’ve proven that plenty. No matter how many times or how bad the fires get, you somehow brave your way through ‘em like some immortal beast.”

“Nah, dawg, I wouldn’t say all that,” Tungsten laughed it off with a smile. “But if you think so, thanks. I appreciate ya. Say, since we got some time to kill, why don’t we do some shopping? Maybe come up with some gift ideas for our folks, yeah?”

“Yup. I’m with you. Just don’t bore me with lectures about historic clock parts again--”

“‘Ey man, clocks are important--”

“Now isn’t the time--get it, cuz--”

Tungsten snickered as they trotted along. “That was good. I’ll give you that one.”

Time To Go Shopping

With their minds made up on where to go and what to do, the mares and stallions unknowingly made their way to the nearest shopping center all at the same time. Lemon Hearts escorted Honey Lodestar towards an area filled with good gifts for stallions. At the same time, Flash Sentry and Tungsten Wolfe were busy in the section filled with antique and historic pieces of memorabilia.

And eventually, Honey would lay eyes on her crush…

“...Omigosh,” Honey muttered under her breath and hid her eyes behind one of her hooves. “He’s here, Lemon. Eegh! Don’t let him see me!” she squealed as she hid behind one of the nearby clothing racks.

Lemon Hearts looked over in the direction that Honey had been looking and saw the stallion in question looking for gifts with Flash Sentry.

“Oh woooow…” Lemon remarked, and gave a small whistle, “You picked a good one, huh? He’s got some muscle on him. Though, all those scars make him look a biiiit scary.”

Honey poked her head out from between a set of overcoats. “That’s what I like though, Lem. Each of those burns are like badges to him. He never forgets the tragic scenarios he puts himself through for the sake of others. I…I desperately wanna be there for him, ya know? After seeing what he’s been through first-hoof, I--oof!”

A shopkeeper unicorn had moved the rack of clothes with his magic, causing Honey to fall to the floor.

“Ouch…”

“You okay?” Lemon asked as she helped her up.

Honey dusted herself off. “Yeah, I’m fine. Anyway, I wanna…somehow work up the courage to talk to him, ya know? Get a feel for what he likes.”

Lemon tapped her hoof against the floor while thinking about possible ways to approach the situation. “Hm…I think we should--”

But before she could finish her thought, someone they knew joined in their conversation.

“...Lemon? Honey? Is everything okay here?” a delicate, dainty voice with a high pitch spoke out.

Both mares turned their heads and laid eyes on an adult changeling mare. She had a pink body color, solid blue eyes, and white wings.

Honey smiled upon seeing her and greeted her, “Kemuri? Hey, how it’s going?”

“We’re just doing some shopping for Honey’s special somepony,” Lemon said with a playful nudge to Honey’s flank--much to the latter’s visible chagrin. “Wanna help us?”

“...yeah, I’d really appreciate it,” Honey muttered in a shameful tone. “I…I just can’t bring myself to talk to him for some weird reason.”

Kemuri fluttered her wings. “Ooh! I could go talk to him for you and then give you an idea of what he likes when I get back. How’s that sound?”

“Yes!” Honey cheered with a clap of her hooves. “I’d like that very much, please. You’re a much better talker than I am, Kem.”

“And while she does that,” Lemon turned Honey back towards the rows of possible gift options for Tungsten, “Let’s keep looking. They have a nice selection of sweaters this way.”

While the pony mares stayed on that side of the store, the changeling mare pranced over to where Tungsten and Flash were…

The latter was helping the former with his selection as they looked over possible snowglobe options.

“Let’s see--we don’t want something gaudy,” Flash muttered as he flew around, taking a look at each shelf, “You want something that displays how simplistic and cool you can be.”

“And you really thinks dis’a good idea,” Tungsten asked from below, “We ain’t lookin’ta be in the newspaper for our fancy-schmancy snowglobe collection, bruh.”

Soon enough, Kemuri trotted up to them and spoke, “Hello, sir. Are you Mr. Wolfe by chance?”

“Yea,” he replied as he turned his head to the changeling mare, “To whom do I owe the pleasure? And please, nunna that ‘mister’ stuff. Just Tungsten is fine.”

“My name is Kemuri Kai-Tan,” she introduced herself with a bow, “I’ve heard quite a bit about you and wanted to know more.”

“I see,” Tungsten replied with an uncertain tone, “Not sure what you’d like to hear though. I ain’t exactly much of a storyteller.”

“That’s okay,” Kemuri assured him there was no pressure. “I just wanted to get to know you better. They say you’re quite the hero, one of the best the Royal Guard has to offer. Is that true, dear?”

Tungsten raised his hooves for a quick shrug. “I suppose you could say somethin’ like that. But it ain’t a big deal, really. I just like protectin’ my people and my home, ya feel me?”

‘Okay, I’m getting somewhere.’ Confident in her approach thus far, Kemuri would continue with the questions. “Very interesting indeed. And what drives you to fight for us in such a way, sir?”

“My overprotective parents,” he rolled his eyes as he recalled them once more. “They ain’t never let me do nothin’ on my own. By the time I got old enough, I was so ready to get up on outta there that I never looked back.”

Kemuri paused for a moment--wings fluttering. “...Oh my. I know exactly how you feel.”

“Do ya, miss?”

“That I do,” she continued with a nod, “Even after we changelings were liberated from Chrysalis’ reign, some of us still weren’t that quite trustworthy of ponies. My own parents never really let me play with or speak to any ponies. It was frustrating. Even though we were finally free, I still felt like I was being tied down in a cage…” she lamented with a frown.

Tungsten looked down at the floor for a moment, thinking about how rough changelings must have had it during their transition into society. It certainly wasn’t easy, and even now, there was likely still feelings of contempt on both sides, tucked away from public perception.

“I apologize on behalf of ponykind,” he said with a hoof against his chest, “I can only imagine what kinda pain ya’ll went through and still go through even now. Not even the griffons are subject to that much distrust.”

Kemuri shook her head and waved her hoof dismissively. “Oh no! There’s no need to apologize to me for that. You’re a Guardsstallion. It’s your job to keep the Royal Family safe from harm. And we did threaten them at one point, so…”

“Still. It wasn’t ya’lls fault,” Tungsten insisted, “I know I won’t be able’ta change the hearts and minds of everypony out there, so I’m apologizin’ now to at least show you that not all of us feel that way.”

“Oh…thank you…” Kemuri smiled as she turned her head aside--her heart skipping a beat. “You’re very kind to say that, sir. I don’t think I’ve heard anyone tell me that before.”

“Hey, it’s alright,” the guardsstalllion flashed her a smile, “It’s Hearth’s Warmin’. Everybody deserves’ta feel loved, don’t they? Reminds me of my younger days when I first started playin’ in band practice the Guard Academy.” He chuckled as he recalled that time, “Ah…the trombone will always be a favorite. Music helps keep up morale, ya feel me?”

“Music?” Kemuri’s wings fluttered once more with a gasp, “Ah! I love playing music! We changelings have an instrument similar to your xylophone. It’s quite fun!”

“Really? I’d like to hear ya play sometime,” Tungsten suggested, “Might learn a thing or two about changelings in the process.”

‘He’s…wonderful. Wait, no what am I doing?!’ Kemuri’s heart continued to beat until she felt the blood race through her wings and flutter involuntarily. “Erm…m-maybe…but I have to go!”

Before he could say anything else, Kemuri quickly flew away, leaving the earth pony stallion confused for a moment.

“...O…kay?”

Flash Sentry eventually landed. “...I saw everything, bud. I think you have a good candidate for a Gala date.”

“Really? You think so?”

Gift-Making Time

“Okay, I think he’ll like this one,” Honey commented as she looked at a blue and green Hearth’s Warming sweater patterned with swords and shields. “This definitely looks like his style. Don’tcha think, Lem?”

“For sure, Hon. I think he’ll like it a lot if it comes from you,” Lemon agreed.

But even so, Honey wasn’t quite satisfied with merely buying Tungsten a gift. The stallion was special to her and his efforts deserved to be recognized in a way greater than a simple store-bought gift on Hearth’s Warming.

“Hm…it’s not good enough,” Honey huffed as she lifted the sweater. “I mean, it’s a good start, but I wanna do more for him than just this, ya know?”

That’s when Lemon had an idea.

“Aha! I think we should go see Twinkleshine,” she suggested with an ecstatic bit of prancing in place. “When Hearth’s Warming rolls around, she makes the best ornaments! It’s a bit of a tradition that my friend group shares. You’re welcome to join us so she can show you how to make an ornament for Tungsten.”

Honey’s eyes shot open--her face lit up with an inspired smile. “Hey yeah…that’s not a bad idea. If I can make him something with my own two hooves, that’ll show him just how much I appreciate him. Thanks for the idea, Lem.”

“No problem! In fact, I think she’s free right now. Should we get going after Kemuri returns to give us her intel?”

“I think we should,” Honey replied with a nod, then looked around the store. “Speaking of which, where is she anyway?”

As if on cue, the changeling mare in question would reappear, trotting up to her friends while short of breath. “...Okay. Sorry I took so long. Whew.”

“Something wrong, Kem?” Honey tilted her head as she looked her friend over, “You look like you just ran a mile.”

“Don’t tell me talking to him made you nervous,” Lemon teased with a giggle.

Kemuri was quick to deny anything of the sort and tuck her own feelings away. “Oh no, not at all. We simply spoke for quite longer than I would’ve expected. Anyway, it seems as if he’s a very sweet stallion that holds his emotions close to his chest. He harbored quite a lot of sympathy for me and my kind, given how we’re judged…”

What she said was still true to life, as quite a few high-class Canterlot ponies turned their heads upwards at the mere sight of a changeling like Kemuri as they trotted in and out of the shop. Even if they weren’t declared dangerous anymore, there were still some low rumblings of anti-changeling sentiment roaming around.

Something that Lemon and Honey were able to see for themselves.

“Yyyikes…what a shame,” Honey lamented, “Wish we could make ‘em all see that you’re not lovesucking locusts anymore.”

Kemuri sighed and shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not like you can force them all to change how they think.” She put on a smile. “Besides, that wouldn’t be very nice. Anyway, back to the topic at hoof here--Tungsten seems like the type of stallion that values emotional availability. Oh, and he plays the trombone as well. Not sure how much that’ll help you, but it’s something!”

“Hmm…” Honey racked her brain for ideas and could see Lemon Hearts glaring at her with a snarky, half-lidded expression. “...what are you thinking about?”

“Oh nothing,” Lemon giggled to herself, “That’s very useful info, Kemuri. We’re gonna go see my friend Twinkleshine and make some ornaments. Wanna come with us?”

“That sounds lovely, but I’ve gotta get home and start working on dinner to host my family,” she declined, but wished them the best with a smile. “But I hope you two come up with something that’ll catch his attention.”

“Fair enough,” Honey replied, “Good luck with your cooking. Come on, Lemon. I’m gonna buy him this sweater and then we’ll get going, alright?”

“Sure thing!”

And so, the mares split up for the evening. Once Lemon Hearts and Honey Lodestar both made their purchases at the shop, they made their way to Twinkleshine’s home where they were greeted with open hooves and an excited unicorn.

“Oooooh! Trying to get Wolfy-boy’s attention, huh?” Twinkleshine teased as she let them inside her home. “You def got an eye for quality, girlfriend. He’s a ten for sure.”

“That’s what I said!” Lemon Hearts agreed. The two of them tended to gossip on the regular, so it was no surprise that they were already familiar with Tungsten’s reputation. “But so’s our Honey. They’ll be a perfect match!”

Honey blushed in silence for a moment, then looked around Twinkleshine’s home. It was fully decorated with wreaths and miniature snowponies lining the walls. Her Hearth’s Warming Tree was fully decorated with loads of hoof-made ornaments that looked to be of pristine quality with neatly carved lines and holes.

The fireplace was also lit and blazing to keep everyone warm along with some soft holiday music playing in the background courtesy of Twinkleshine’s record player.

On the coffee table were supplies and other objects that Twinkle used to create her ornaments. The mare in question shut her door and trotted off to the kitchen.

“I’m gonna make us some hot cocoa to warm us up nice and right,” she announced as she walked along, “Then we’ll go ahead and get started, alright guys?”

“Noted,” Honey replied, “And thanks. Huh…didn’t realize Tungsten was so famous. Is there more to him than I realize?”

Lemon would answer her question while she took a seat on the couch. “Oh don’t even get me started. You know how often I hear colts talking about him after school?”

“Jeez, I really must be missing something,” Honey said as she sat down on the couch as well. “If there’s something you guys know about him, you gotta tell me.”

“I don’t remember all the details--” Lemon paused mid-sentence and turned her head towards the kitchen, raising her voice, “Hey, Twinkle! What was that story about Tungsten you said you heard?”

Twinkleshine’s distant voice would call back, “Oh! I remember. Hang on a sec…”

Soon enough, Twinkleshine returned to the living room while levitating a small dish with three cocoa mugs. She set them down on a nearby empty side table where the other two mares could retrieve them with ease and sip from them as she told her story…

“Okay, so it goes like this…”

During Grogar’s attack on Equestria in which he summoned numerous monsters to attack the entire continent, a hydra was sent to attack Canterlot among other various deadly creatures. Princess Twilight Sparkle had given orders to all of the Guardsponies to secure the city in order to keep everyone safe while she dealt with the threat herself…

Or so she thought.

“No way. You and Flash Sentry should secure the city,” Tungsten insisted on what was essentially a suicide mission. “Stay with your subjects, princess. I got this.”

“ARE YOU INSANE?!” Twilight screamed. “A hydra is nothing to play with, soldier! You’re going to get yourself killed!”

Flash was by her side to keep her on an even keel. “There’s no time for this, Princess. Let him handle it. After all, he’s been working on a new weapon just for moments like this.”

Indeed. Tungsten showed off a pair of clawed gauntlets that he wore on his forelegs. They shone a bright gold color with black accents.

Nergigante claws. Made from the scales of a massive, deadly dragon, these gauntlets were effective against all types of monsters.

Once she saw them on his body, Twilight knew she couldn’t argue any further.

“Fine. But come back alive. We’ll be down there shortly to help you out.”

“I won’t need it,” Tungsten assured them as he turned to leave, galloping out of the castle. “Because ya’ll won’t be dyin’ today.”

Everyone split up as planned.

Armed with his special gauntlets, Tungsten hurried outside to face the hydra. It was so massive that he needed to leap between the tops of various trees in order to get a proper look at it. A five-headed demonic beast the size of a mountain versus one little pony.

Tungsten knew that trying to cut off its heads would only end in certain disaster, so he quickly devised a strategy in order to take it down.

With a mighty roar, the hydra’s heads spewed purple, acidic bile in his direction which instantly disintegrated the trees he had been standing on. Tungsten leapt to another set of trees only to be met with a viscous smack from the hydra’s tail.

CLACK!

Tungsten was flung face-first into the mountainside that Canterlot was built upon and fell to the ground. But that didn’t stop him. In spite of the pain he felt in his body, he stood up once more and wiped away the blood from his lip. Now he had another strategy.

Take away its tail; take away its balance.

In a zig-zag formation, Tungsten swiftly raced across the open field, narrowly avoiding the splatters of acid that the multi-headed beast spat in his direction. Having poured a lot of his training into the strength and durability of his body, he was deceptively agile and quick enough to dart across the field in a blur of slate gray.

It wasn’t long before he reached the backside of the hydra and lunged forward with his gauntlets. Since they were made with the fierce density of a dragon’s scales and hide, they were just durable enough to slice through the beast’s tail, and remove it completely--leaving naught but a scaly stump on the hydra’s body.

It roared in pain and whipped its heads around to catch Tungsten off-guard, spewing more deadly acid in his direction.

“...!”

It was too late to react--his body was covered in it…except, somehow, someway, it didn’t pierce his body at all. Tungsten stood tall, glaring up at the hydra with his face covered in purple poison, unflinching, unmoving, and silent.

Then, he performed a backflip jump to give himself some space from the creature, and used the rebounding energy to spring himself off of the ground with enough force to leave a crater where he once stood as he leapt into the air directly at the hydra’s head. With his gauntlets primed to slice through, it seemed as if the odds were insurmountable…

The unexpectedly durable pony put fear into the heads of the hydras who all stared at each other in confusion before ultimately deciding to--

SNAP!

In a quick motion, the middle head swooped down and swallowed Tungsten whole. If they couldn’t destroy him with their acidic spit, then surely stomach acid would work…right?

With a confident lick of its lips, the hydra resumed its intended assault on Canterlot. That is, until…

It froze in place.

Then, one by one, each head became paralyzed, unable to move or even blink.

The hydra fell to the ground, lying on its back.

And that’s when Tungsten clawed his way out of its body, having destroyed its heart in the process.

“He really did all that himself?!” Honey yelped upon Twinkleshine finishing out her story.

“Mm-hmm,” Twinkle replied as she sipped her hot chocolate and idly stirred it with a spoon via magic. “Though you might wanna take it with a grain of salt since gossip gets embellished all the time.”

Lemon certainly didn’t think so--she scoffed at her friend’s words. “Ah, pfft. Don’t be such a downer, Twinkle. I bet he’s twice as strong as that story makes him out to be,” she looked in Honey’s direction with a devious smirk. “I bet he probably suplexed that thing into oblivion!”

“Wow…if that’s the case, then he must be stronger than we think…” Honey gave a nervous huff as she allowed her mind to wander for a moment. “Hmm…”

That’s when Lemon broke her train of thought by teasing her. “...you’re totally imagining him lifting you up on his back, aren’t you?”

“...N-no!” Honey insisted as she shrank into her seat on the couch while sipping her cocoa. “Shuddup…”

Twinkle gave her take, “Hey, I wouldn’t blame you. What I wouldn’t give to have a stallion strong enough to press out my joint pain if you catch my drift,” she said with a giggle and a wink.

“Seriously, Twinkle? A dude that strong could easily snap your legs in half,” Lemon raised a brow. “...unless you’re--wait, are you seriously into that sorta thing?”

“Don’t knock it ‘til you try iiiiit,” Twinkle sang in a teasing tone.

Honey’s face became flushed red. “C-can we change the subject please?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Twinkle replied, “Anyway. The best thing you can do is just talk to him. See if you can speak to him on one of his off-days maybe. That’s what I’d do if I were you.”

“Yeah that’s prolly your best bet,” Lemon agreed, “Guardsponies like him probably don’t get to have much time to do their own thing away from their armor and work. One of my friend’s cousins said she’s been so busy managing the weapon’s cache that she hasn’t had time to organize her own clothes at home.”

“Yeesh,” Honey visibly recoiled at that information, “I can’t imagine being so backed up that I can’t find my own stuff at home. I guess that’s the perk of just managing bees. Their schedule is what we agree upon together.”

Lemon and Twinkle glanced at her with confused expressions--as if she had been speaking a different language.

“...say what?” Lemon asked.

“Oh, it’s simple, see. I talk to the flash bees every day and they let me know when their honey is ready,” the beekeeper mare explained with an excited smile. Her profession was always a topic that she enjoyed giving details about. “That way I can make sure that the honey I jar and sell to the markets is as fresh as possible. The bees really don’t get enough credit--they’re not savage, stinging killers like everyone says they are. That would be something like a wasp,” she shuddered at the mere thought. “Now those are some evil insects.”

“So that’s why the honey I use tends to be better than the ones from the general store,” Twinkleshine realized with a surprised smile. “You’ve got a real knack for dealing with bees, huh?”

“They’re my favorite animal, yeah,” Honey admitted with a nod, “My cutie mark appeared when I saved my friends from a hive that had fallen and broken near our school. Those were the days…”

And suddenly, Lemon Hearts had an idea. “Hey…why don’t you strike up a conversation about bees with Tungsten? You seem like you really enjoy speaking about ‘em.”

“Huh…never thought of that,” Honey paused and thought about it for a moment before agreeing. “You know what? That might be just what I need to do to work up the courage to speak with him!”

“Thank you, thank you,” Lemon smugly commented as she leaned back against the couch. “I’m amazing, I know.”

Plap.

Twinkleshine pushed a piece of craft’s paper into Lemon’s face via magic and snickered. “So…you girls ready to get started?”

“Oh yeah, totally,” Honey placed her bug down and leaned over the table. “I’ve already got some ideas.”

“Hey, don’t do me like that!” Lemon sputtered as she pushed back against the paper via her own levitation magic. “Bet I can make the best one!”

Honey took that challenge with a determined grin on her face. “Oh you’re on.”

Twinkleshine simply sighed. “Here we go again…”

Sweet And Metallic

The next day, Tungsten Wolfe would have one of his first days off for the holidays. As he got ready to leave his home for the day, he heard some carolers outside of his window and started to idly hum along to the tune as he brushed his teeth.

“Hm-hm-hm…’tis the season…hm-hm-hm…gimme a reason…aw-yeah-yeah!”

Well, it was more akin to that of a small singing solo than mere humming. Regardless, the guardsstallion had found himself at a loss for what to do as soon as he stepped outside into the snowy world of Canterlot. Clad in a red winter coat, he paused as soon as he stepped outside.

“...Now what in the heck am I doin’ today?”

Indeed. This stallion had been so entrenched in his work that he was genuinely stumped as to how to go about a day in which he had some free time to himself. The poor guy had to take out a list just to figure out what he should do.

“Let’s see…I’ve already gone gift shopping,” he muttered as he pointed at his list, and continued down each line. “I’ve already done my workout and practiced my horn. Hmm…maybe I should take a patrol--er, walk. A simple walk.”

Tungsten sighed to himself as he put his list away. Fully aware of how boring his life actually was, he closed his door and started walking around the city…

However, his lamentation wouldn’t last.

“Tungsten! Hey, Tungsten!” one of the carolers, a young unicorn stallion, approached him while running out of breath. “Care to sing a few verses with us?”

“Uh…I dunno,” Tungsten took a step back with a nervous smile on his face, “You might wanna pick somebody who ain’t totally tone-deaf.”

“No, no! I just heard you! You’re amazing!” the stallion practically begged him to join in, “C’moooon! You’re off-duty today, right? Have some fun with us!”

Unable to resist the request of a nice civilian, Tungsten eventually caved with a sigh, then a smile. “Alright, Nebula. What are we singin’?”

Overjoyed, the unicorn stallion--whose full name was Atomic Nebula--got behind Tungsten and started pushing him towards the other carolers. “Yes! We’re gonna be singing, ‘Carol Of The Bluebells’! You know it, don’t you?”

“Uh…kinda?” he admitted with a half-hearted smile as he looked at the group of caroler ponies. Some of them were visibly excited to see him while others rolled their eyes, clearly not expecting much from a guardspony who usually kept his mouth shut.

“Alrighty!” Nebula stood in front of the group and levitated a conductor’s stick, “And-a one! And-a two!”

Everyone started singing together in unison, and it was a bit difficult for Tungsten to keep up…

“Hear the bells as they ring…”
“Tis the season for giving…”
“Love thy neighbor, show your heart…”
“For Hearth’s Warming we must do our part…”

Tungsten stumbled over the first few lines, until…

“I don’t need no gifts!”
“I don’t need no doves!”
“Just be yourself baby!”
“Gimme all your love!”

“Whoo! Come on now, ya’ll, sing it!”

Every other caroler--and Nebula--stopped dead in their tracks and stared at Tungsten with wide eyes and gaping mouths as if he had just committed a crime. His soulful voice completely clashed with the delicate, artistic tone that they were going for.

“Uh…” Tungsten opened his eyes and realized that all eyes were on him. “...Oh…did I get carried away? I’ll just--”

“No way!” Nebula halted his role as conductor just to run up to Tungsten and praise him. “Your voice is amazing! We could really use you on our squad for when we head to regionals and compete against other choirs.” He turned to look at his fellow cast members, “How about it, guys?”

Nebula got no answer. The dozen carolers were too busy staring at Tungsten in disbelief. A few of them started to mutter about how it would be a good idea, while some of them detracted--stating that it’d be too much work to fit him in the routine at this point.

Tungsten could sense the less-than-ideal aura from the crowd and decided to remove himself for the time being. “...Yeah, I’ll let ya’ll discuss that among ya’llselves. Don’t stress over me, alright?” he said as he turned to keep walking. “Happy Hearth’s Warmin’.”

“Aw, wh--” Nebula looked on in disappointment as his idol left down the road. All he could do from that point was sigh and trot back over to his position as conductor to catch his choir’s attention. “Alright, listen up! From the top, everyone! Let’s go!”

Tungsten sighed as he walked away, covering his face with one of his hooves. “Can’t believe I just did that. Guess I ain’t choir boy material. Should probably stick to trombone…”

“Talking to yourself, soldier?” a feminine, yet husky voice called out to him from nearby.

“...?”

Tungsten turned to see a dark blue pegasus mare with a jet black mane done up in a ponytail, pink eyes--one of which was covered by an eyepatch, and a naval mine for a cutie mark. She was also wearing a jet black overcoat and smoking a cigar. The wrinkles in her face indicated that she was much older than Tungsten--by at least one generation.

“Ma’am,” Tungsten saluted her.

“Psssh. We’re off-duty,” she replied, rolling her eyes, “There’s no need for that, Wolfe. How are you?”

“Just fine. Though, had a bit of a mishap with the choir back here,” he tilted his head in the direction of the caroler ponies that had resumed their usual singing routine.

The mare nodded. “Yeah, I heard everything. Your voice is somethin’ else, you know that?”

“Sometimes I wish I became a singer,” he chuckled, “But this job is far more important.to me. Know what I mean, Miss Nero?”

2nd Lieutenant Nero “Depth” Charge was a retired commander of the Equestrian Navy. Specializing primarily in dealing with threats from underwater before they could reach the shore.

“Yeah, yeah of course,” she replied as she blew smoke from her lips. “Hell, I wanted to be a nurse, but that didn’t quite work out. But what I’m sayin’ is that you should value your time, boy. You ain’t gonna be young forever.”

Tungsten paused and glared at her with a flat, unamused expression. “Okay, hold on, Miss Nero. Where in Cerberus’ foot did that come from?”

“Boy, you don’t think I’ve noticed your schedule?” Nero continued, “You work so hard for your post. I get it. But don’t end up slaving away at a position that’ll leave you old, alone, and ugly like me.”

“Look, ma’am, for the record, I ain’t gonna just turn in my armor tomorrow. My crew and I are the only ones who can do what we do.”

“I’m not saying give up your rank tomorrow, boy. Just…don’t be afraid to stop and smell the roses. Spend time with those who care about you. You’ve got too much to live for at your age. Understand?”

Tungsten ruminated on her words for a moment. Was it possible that he was too devoted to his position? After all, this was his first real vacation since…last Hearth’s Warming.

“...yea, I think I understand, ma’am.”

Nero sighed with relief, then offered a suggestion. “Why don’t you head on to the upcoming gala? I’m sure you’d have plenty of options for dates, given how handsome you are. Shame I’m not 20 years younger,” she chuckled to herself, then started coughing as a result of her smoking.

Normally, he would’ve asked if she was okay, but he knew Nero well in that she smoked often in order to ward off the demons of her past, so he remained silent on that front. Instead, he focused directly on her question.

“...Date? Me? I dunno…I ain’t really got anybody in mind,” he answered honestly while rubbing his hoof against the side of his head.

Nero sighed. “Ah…well, I’m sure it’ll come to you eventually. For now, I need to keep shopping for my grandcolts. They look up to you, ya know. Don’t let ‘em down by becoming like me, alright?” she said with an ironic laugh towards herself as she trotted away.

“I’ll certainly do my best not to, ma’am,” Tungsten waved as she left, but then, something caught his attention. With a flick of his ear, he listened closely…

“No, Mango! Don’t mess with the beehive!”

Tungsten leapt into action and hurried over to the scene--his hooves rapidly crunching the snow beneath his brisk gallop until he stopped near a tree.

Beneath the tree, a teal unicorn filly clad in a thick purple coat and wool hat was pouting as she looked up at her calico cat. “Come on, Mango! Argh…where’s the beekeeper lady when you need her?””

Tungsten relaxed as soon as he saw the nature of the situation. A simple, yet classic cat that was stuck in a tree. But this was especially dangerous due to how close the cat was to a beehive that was also in the tree.

“I can get her down for ya. Hang on…”

But this was no ordinary beehive…

ZAP!

“REEEER!” the cat hissed as it backed away further into the tree.

“...they’re flash bees,” the filly muttered with a huff, “I’m never gonna get her down at this rate.”

‘Damn, this ain’t good.’ Tungsten thought to himself. If he approached this the wrong way, the poor filly’s cat could be stung, electrocuted, or electrically stung!

“I ain’t no expert on bees,” he muttered under his breath, “If only there was someone who was…” That’s when he remembered… “Wait a sec, did you mention somethin’ about a beekeeper?”

“Mm-hmm. She should live around here somewhere but I don’t wanna leave Mango behind…”

Tungsten was prepared to take control of the situation. “Alright, tell ya what. You go get her, and I’ll stay here and watch your cat for ya.”

“Alright, mister,” the filly stood up, knowing she could trust one of the Royal Guard. “I’ll be right back.”

And with that, she scampered off…

…and returned with a certain mare five minutes later. “Okay, mister! I found her!”

Tungsten turned his head to see Honey Lodestar with her beekeeping supplies being pulled in a wagon behind herself. As soon as he laid eyes on her, he recognized her color scheme. “Ah, I remember you. You’re the one that makes all that good honey we have in our rations.”

Honey’s heart began to race upon seeing Tungsten. “...Oh…uh…y-yah…” But her focus was then immediately drawn to the cat that was essentially being held hostage by the electrical bees. “...shoot. Okay, we’ll need to be careful here. Flash bees are very aggressive.”

“Alright, then what’s the plan?” Tungsten asked as he looked up into the tree.

With her focus entirely upon the safety of both the cat and the bees, Honey felt no anxiety around Tungsten for the time being.

“I’ll climb up and hit ‘em with some smoke to calm ‘em down,” she explained her plan with an authoritative tone, “Once I bring the beehive down, you get the cat down. Got it?”

“Understood,” Tungsten replied with a nod. Receiving and carrying out orders was his usual MO, so he didn’t mind following Honey’s lead.

As described, Honey would first climb the tree with her beekeeping smoker clenched tightly between her jaws. Scarily enough she wasn’t using any of her protective gear!

This caused the filly to shiver in place as she watched Honey climb the tree. “W-wait…don’t beekeepers need a big, burly suit that keeps them from getting stung?!”

“...They do, don’t they? Guess this mare is an expert at her job,” Tungsten commented, noting her honeycomb cutie mark.

And he was correct. As soon as Honey got up to the beehive, and sprayed it with smoke, the largest bee--the queen bee--flew out of the hive to speak with her.

“...Now she’s talking to them?” the filly gasped, “That’s so cool!”

Whatever she said, it must have worked. Honey grabbed ahold of the beehive and took it down with her to her wagon. “Alright. The bees are out of the way. It’s far too cold for them out here anyway. You’re up, Tungsten.”

“Alrighty,” the stallion replied as he trotted up to the tree and climbed it.

“I’m so sorry about all this,” the filly apologized profusely, “I didn’t think she’d run off like that. I think the bees must’ve spooked her.”

“It’s okay,” Honey replied while patting the foal on her head, “The flash bees get really angsty around wintertime. It’s my job to get them to a safe place where they won’t freeze.”

“That’s so awesome!” the foal squealed, then turned to the tree, “But I hope Mr. Sten can get Mango down. She’s just like the flash bees--she gets very…angy around this time too.”

“Yeah…that’s why I never tried to own a cat,” Honey muttered to the filly, “You’ve got my respect, that’s for sure.” On the inside however, her mind was on a completely different page. ‘Please be okay, Tungsten…’

Luckily, she wouldn’t have to worry for too long. Tungsten reached into his coat and pulled out some bits of dried cat food. The calico mewled and immediately followed him without so much as a hiss or a scratch!

“Woah!” the filly raced towards him as he carried her cat down from the tree. “The last time she got stuck in a tree, she nearly left the rescue ponies in the hospital! What’s your secret, sir?”

Tungsten leaned his head forwards, allowing the cat to pounce off of him and into the filly’s grasp. “I’ve done this for years as a rescue operator myself, kiddo. A cat up a tree is a walk in the park for me.”

“Thank you so much!” the filly praised their efforts, “You both work super well together.” With that, she turned and started walking her cat back home. “Come on, Mango. Time to get your flea collar on.”

Honey smiled as she left and bid her goodbye. “Get home safely now. You don’t want your mother to get worried.”

“I will!”

Tungsten turned to Honey and asked, “Oh? You know her?”

“That’s Prism Jewel,” she explained, “Her father’s a coal miner and her mom stays at home to watch her. Though lately, her mother’s been feeling ill, so I’ve been bringing them fresh honey so they can make her some tea to soothe her throat.”

“Well that’s nice of ya,” he replied with a nod and a smile, “Goin’ out of your way like that for others. I dig it.”

Honey’s confident outer shell started to crack as soon as Tungsten complimented her. “O-oh…thanks. I appreciate that. And you’ve done a lot to keep us safe here…so thank you, sir.”

“Hey, it ain’t no problem--” Tungsten paused mid-sentence and took a closer look at the mare. “Wait a tick…I remember ya now. That’s right, you was one of the ponies I saved from that fire during Tirek’s attack a few years ago. Is everythin’ alright now, miss?”

Honey was relieved to hear that he remembered her, which aided her in speaking with him more clearly. “Y-yeah…we’re all good now. We’ve got a new home and everything. The name’s Honey Lodestar. And…” She idly dragged one of her hooves in the snow below. “...it’s because of you that we’ve never had to worry about our safety anymore. So I wanna properly thank you for all that you’ve done.”

“...really? You ain’t gotta do all that, Ms. Lodestar,” Tungsten insisted, “Just doin’ my job, ya feel?”

But Honey refused to accept that as an answer. “...no. No way. The Royal Guard doesn’t get enough appreciation and I want to show you how I feel…” Her cheeks flushed red as she turned her head to the side. “...if that’s okay with you.”

While he didn’t quite comprehend her feelings, Tungsten was more than willing to give a citizen his time. If she wanted to show her appreciation, then who was he to deny her that right?

“Alrighty then,” he agreed to her terms with a smile, “Lead the way, Miss Honey.”

“...!” Honey’s entire face turned red as she pranced in place, hooves crunching the snow. “O-okay…follow me to my please, place. Er, my place--please!” She turned and started to hastily trot down the main road.

All the while, Tungsten was completely oblivious.

‘...must be super cold if her face is getting like that. Better make sure she gets home safely.’

Getting To Know Each Other

Eventually, Honey Lodestar would lead Tungsten Wolfe to her home. A simple, single-story abode that had some light decorations here and there. Her tree was bare due to being unfinished, but you best believe she had plenty of freshly jarred cases of honey to sell for the season. Once she put away her new set of flash bees, and turned a certain family photograph facedown, she invited him inside…

“...a bit rushed on the decoratin’, huh?” Tungsten noted her unfinished tree in a teasing manner. “Don’t worry, I’m the same way. I ain’t got nothin’ put up in my home yet.”

“Y-yeah…I guess that’s why everyone’s so rushed and pressed for time right around now. We’re all trying to get our stuff up as early as possible…hehehee…” Honey found herself laughing like a complete fool in his presence.

To which Tungsten glossed over, not wanting to embarrass her. “Makes sense’ta me. Seems like you’ve been gettin’ along just fine ever since we first met, huh?”

“Oh…for sure…anyway…” Honey reached for a green wrapped box with red ribbon she had under her tree, and grabbed ahold of it. “I want you to have this. A guardspony like you has been through a lot to keep us safe, and well…not enough of the population takes you guys seriously. So I thought I’d extend my gratitude…” She reached out her hoof and offered him the box while furiously blushing and averting her gaze. “...so p-please take this.”

“For me? Aw, thanks…and yeah, I guess you right. We don’t really get much recognition since Twilight and the other princesses usually do all the world-savin’ stuff…”

As much as he often denied it, it was genuinely nice to feel appreciated by someone else. After all, being a member of the Royal Guard was a thankless job that was often met with apathy at best and ridicule at worst. Tungsten found himself staring at the present box for a moment, then he quickly glanced at Honey with a smile before opening it.

“...Thanks, Ms. L,” he thanked her as he tore the ribbon off with his mouth…and inside, he found the sweater that Honey had picked out for him from the store along with a rather large, hoof-made tree ornament. It was red with a hollowed out, transparent circle and message that read:

‘There is no better gift to receive
Than the comforting smile of someone you like
On Hearth’s Warming Eve.’

Tungsten sighed with a smile as he read the message and set the box aside.

“S-so…do you like--eep!”

Tungsten had wrapped his hooves around her and given her a hug. “Like it? I love it, Honey. I ain’t never received somethin’ so lovely before.” He let her go and took a step back so that he could look her in the eye. “Thanks a ton.”

It took every inch of Honey’s willpower to fight back against the desire to become a pile of nervous mush as she felt her heart beat with enough intensity to be heard inside of her head. “Y-you’re welcome…just felt you deserved this, ya know?”

“You know my folks ain’t never celebrated this?”

That was a rather concerning statement--enough to cause Honey to pause and focus on it instead of her anxiety. “...wait, what? Your parents never let you celebrate Hearth’s Warming?”

“Or Nightmare Night, or Hearts And Hooves Day,” he explained with a tone that conveyed a sense of sadness. “They kept me sheltered off from everything and never let me do anything or speak to anyone outside the house. Found myself lonely…annoyed…bitter…”

“...You poor guy,” Honey muttered as she offered her sympathies, “I can’t imagine what that must’ve been like.”

Tungsten scoffed. “Tch. Just imagine bein’ told ‘no’ every time you asked to do somethin’.”

Now Honey was curious--specifically in reference to how he managed to acquire his cutie mark. “So…how did you figure out what you wanted to do with your life, Tungsten?”

“...It goes like this…”

Many years ago…

As per usual, the young Tungsten was forced to sit in front of a piano and practice notes all day. It got to a point where his hooves were numb from playing so much.

“...Mom, can I please do something else now?”

His mother, an orange unicorn, replied, “No. You’re gonna sit right there and play that piece until you get it right. No boy of mine is gonna grow up and disobey me.”

“Can I at least go play outside? Just for a bit?!”

Yet again, his mother refused, “Now you listen here. You ain’t gon’ get into fights with nobody and you ain’t gon’ start makin’ friends. Makin’ friends leads’ta fallin’ in love, and fallin’ in love leads ya to a life of hell and damnation tied down to someone that’ll screw you dry.”

The colt slammed his face against the piano keys, causing a discordant set of notes to play all at once. Then, when his father came home through the front door…

“Dad! Can I help you with work?! Anything?!”

“No, son. Do as your momma says,” the tired, overworked white pegasus stallion replied.

His father simply flopped upon the couch and drank from a glass of beer as he usually did while his mother continued to pester him into doing his boring, uneventful piano lessons. This was how his daily life went, and the colt got fed up with it, but was ultimately powerless…

That was, until…

Tungsten’s nose twitched. He started to sniff the air, catching a whiff of something that did notsmell right.

‘...carbon dioxide and monoxide. Smoke.’

Indeed. The thick smell of smoke was coming from the nearby open window. And where there was smoke, there was…

“Fire?!”

When he took a look outside, he saw a local restaurant on Restaurant Row ablaze with red-orange flames. In a flash, the earth pony colt climbed out of the window and raced to the scene…

Only for his mother to shriek when she realized her son wasn’t there anymore.

“...Tungsten? Tungsten?! Get yo ass back here boy!”

She hurried outside and chased after him…only to be met with an extremely grateful mare.

“...he saved my baby! Oh thank you…!”

Tungsten’s little body was singed to a crisp, but he made sure the unicorn baby he had saved was unharmed.

“No problem, miss!”

One of the Royal Guardsponies, a blue pegasus mare clad in Royal Guard armor, approached his mother. “...That your boy? He’s got guts, don’t he?”

Tungsten’s mother grit her teeth, holding her tongue and biting back her anger. “...yep. He does.”

“If he’s that tough when he’s little, he’ll be a damn good Guard one day,” the guardsmare complimented her as she left to rejoin her group, “If he ever wants to join in, tell him Ms. Nero recommended him.”

And in a flash of magic…

“Look, ma!” Tungsten showed his mother his flank. A gold shield with blue flames behind it. “I got my cutie mark!”

And yet…his mother continued to glare at him with silent contempt.

“...Aren’tcha proud of me?”

“...get back in that house and go up to your room.”

Tungsten recoiled in fear. “M-mom…?”

The mare forcefully shoved her son inside of their home with a hard push from her hoof. “Go.”

Tungsten hurried inside with his mother close behind. The mare shut the windows and locked the doors.

“Mom…you aren’t mad at me…are you?”

Just then, she glared at him with bloodshot eyes while grabbing a paddle from the kitchen, clenched tightly between her teeth. “You disobeyed me, boy.”

“Mom…no! Mom please! I’m a good boy! I promise--!” Tungsten started to sob, weeping as he hurried upstairs.

His mother hurried up after him, and cornered him in his bedroom, locking the door behind herself, all while his father did nothing.

“Bend over.”

“...MOM PLEASE NO! I WON’T DO IT AGAIN, I’M SORRY! DAD! HELP!!”

“Show me that blasphemous cutie mark, boy. I won’t ask again. Bend. Over.”

“MOM STOP!!”

In the present, Tungsten shuddered as he recalled his past.

“...S-sorry…I must sound like a cowardly little bitch talkin’ about this…” he lamented as he rubbed the side of his head.

Honey refuted his statement. “...No. Absolutely not. It sounds like your mother was abusing you and your father was negligent. I can’t believe she’d do such a thing like that…”

“And that’s pretty much why I left and enlisted as soon as I could,” he explained with a sigh, “Guess I never considered just how bad it was until I spoke it out to somepony.”

“That sounds terrible,” Honey went and gave him a hug this time. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. My parents were nothing but supportive and loved me dearly, so I feel terrible knowing that yours weren’t there for you like mine were.”

Tungsten put a smile on his face and returned the hug. “...don’t be. I’m in a much better place now. My guard buddies and commanders are my real family. Ms. Nero was more of a mother to me than my actual mom was. Imagine that…”

The realization of just how harsh his background was came as a crippling shock to the beekeeper mare. This went beyond simply having feelings for him. She wanted him to be happy above all else.

“...I don’t know what to say. I mean…forgive me. I know they aren’t much, but my words are all I have.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Tungsten assured her as he let go of her, “It’s not your fault.” After all of that, he felt that now was a great time to change the subject. “Anyway, enough about me. I wanna hear about you, Miss Lodestar. Tell me about yourself.”

Just then, Honey came up with an idea.

“I’ll whip up some tea with honey and we can talk more near the fireplace. Deal?”

“Heck, I’m down,” Tungsten agreed with a smile.

About ten minutes later…

With a hot poker clenched between her teeth, Honey poked and prodded the logs that were lit ablaze and crackling in her fireplace.

“There. Nice and toasty. How’s the tea?” she asked as she sat down next to Tungsten on the couch.

“Mmm…hella good,” he rose up out of the cup that he had been slurping from akin to a dog.

A style of drinking that Honey found amusing, as noted by her giggle. “...you’re adorable.”

“Am I?”

“Er…uh…” she blushed and quickly changed the subject. “Anyway…you wanted to learn about me, right? Well, there isn’t really much to my story. I’m just a regular ol’ beekeeper really. Though…the fire that ravaged our home really set us back for a while.”

Tungsten frowned and asked, “...how so?”

“Well, we had to start over from scratch to afford a new home. Thankfully the Royal Guard pitched in and helped us rebuild. In exchange, I gave them as much honey as they wanted.”

“Hm…don’t think I remember that,” the stallion pondered aloud. “Then again, all I can remember after saving ya’ll was passing out from smoke inhalation.”

“...Well…see, after you helped us, the rest of the Royal Guard helped us rebuild and even let me and my mom stay in their barracks until our house was fixed,” she recalled the events with a sigh. “...that’s why I’m eternally grateful to you guys. No matter what anyone says or thinks, the Guardsponies are the true heroes of Equestria and deserve so much more credit than they actually get.”

That put a smile on Tungsten’s face--knowing that his squad were responsible for not only saving this mare’s life, but changing it for the better as well. “...that’s good to hear, Honey. I’ll be honest, that’s why I fight so hard and devote myself to the safety of this city. So that someday, we’ll finally be taken seriously.”

“Well…you’ve done more than that for my family and I, that’s for sure,” she replied with a meek, bashful smile, “That’s why I brought you here. I wanted to thank you and…show how much I…” she bit back her tongue and changed course at the last second, “...appreciate you.”

Tungsten put a hoof around her and held her in a close hug. “Well I can see how much you care. Thank you. This gives me a lot to think about. We should honestly spend more time like this and get to know each other.”

“Y-you think so?”

“Sure, why not?” Tungsten encouraged her, “Hearing how much the civilians value us gives me newfound perspective.”

“T-that’s…g-great!” Honey was about to explode from anxiety, and could hardly take it anymore. “...Oh! Uh…look at the time! I got more gifts to wrap!”

“Huh?”

Honey started pushing Tungsten towards, and out of her front door. “This was great but I’m really busy and need to get stuff ready and I need to focus, so I’ll speak with you later!”

SLAM!

“EEEGH!” Honey squealed from behind the door while pattering her hooves in place.

Meanwhile, a confused Tungsten was left alone outside. All he could do was step away from the door.

“Huh…okay. See you later then.”

As he walked away, he was caught up and met with by a familiar changeling.

“...Mr. Wolfe? How are you today?”

“Oh, I’m fine,” his face lit up upon seeing Kemuri, “Just got through talkin’ with a civilian. How about you?”

Kemuri sighed and ‘rolled’ her solid-colored eyes, “Agh…just got a letter from my brother Kagami. He’s still going on about how ponies are not to be trusted and how I should just return home…blech.”

“Hm…” Tungsten pondered their names for a moment and realized what they translated into. “Oh! Smoke and mirrors. Sorry, just got caught up for a sec. Sounds like your brother needs to step off though.”

Kemuri giggled, “Yes. That’s what our names mean.” The smile went away as she thought about her brother, “But yes…I wish he would just leave me alone. I’m a grown mare. I can make my own decisions.”

The stallion could relate all too well, what with having an overbearing family of his own. “No kidding. I know just what that’s like.”

“...you do?”

“Yeah…”

Tungsten would go on to tell her essentially the same thing he had told Honey not too long ago…

“That’s horrible!” the changeling mare gasped, “I can’t believe your own mother would do something like that to you…”

“Yea, it was awful,” he shook his head, “But like I said, I know what that’s like, Miss Kai Tan. You just need’ta carve your own path away from them and do what you feel is right. Ya feel?”

Kemuri nodded. “I most certainly ‘feel’ you, Mr. Wolfe. To be quite honest, it’s one of the main reasons why I dislike dealing with my own family. I’m currently working on establishing myself as a diplomat between the changelings and ponies. Do you think I have what it takes?”

“...Hot damn, you really goin’ all out on this one huh, Ms. Tan?” Tungsten spoke in a breathless tone to indicate his surprise. Such a position required a lot of hard work and patience. “You sure you up for it?”

“Of course,” she replied with a confident smile, “It’s my dream to unite us both so we can continue moving forward. It’s what King Thorax would want--what I would want.”

“Well you got my support, Ms. Tan,” he approved her word, “I’ll make sure I let Princess Twi know about whatcha plannin’ for both species.”

Kemuri stopped in her tracks, heart pounding. “...You’d do that for me?”

“Well of course,” he replied in plain, matter-of-fact tone, “Why wouldn’t I? I’m a member of the Royal Guard and if you seek to help improve interspecies as well as international security, then I’m obligated to inform the head of state; Twilight in this case.” Then, he dropped the formal manner of speaking, “Plus, it helps that you’re a kind young lady who I don’t mind goin’ outta my way for. You dig?”

“O-oh…well I…” Kemuri blushed profusely and drew her hoof against the snow in an idle fashion. “...T-thank you, so much…I won’t forget this display of kindness. I knew ponies were worth trusting after all.”

Given his past, as well as various threats to Equestria that came from the inside, Tungsten couldn’t allow her to get the wrong idea.

“I wouldn’t quite say that,” Tungsten corrected her, “Some ponies are mean, and we ain’t all trustworthy. But you can kinda say that about any species. Best you can do is surround yourself with folks you can trust. Got it?”

“R-right. O-of course,” Kemuri replied with a nervous inflection in her voice. “Anyhow…I need to get going. I have a lot of sweets to bake…so I’ll be seeing you!” She quickly turned and started prancing away as quickly as possible. All the while, she kept thinking to herself…

‘Stop…stop thinking about it. Honey is already interested in him. It’s not happening.’

This left Tungsten confused yet again. “...Huh. Twice in one day. That’s strange.”

But just then, he had a thought…

‘...Well I think I finally have an idea for my plus-one. But how do I go about this?’

Explaining Their Feelings

Unable to decipher these feelings on his own, Tungsten went to one of his friends for help that afternoon. The stallions entered the local pub in Canterlot for a few rounds of drinks. If he couldn’t figure it out on his own, he may end up breaking a heart. That was absolutely the last thing he wanted to do…

Once Tungsten explained what had happened to him on that day…

“Oh no, she totally likes you, brother,” Flash Sentry commented with a snicker as he sipped from a frothy mug of cider. “You should totally ask her out to the gala.”

“‘Kay, see here’s the problem,” Tungsten leaned against the counter with the side of his face resting on his hoof, “I feel like I’ve caught the interest of two mares, but I just ain’t into one of ‘em. How should I let the other one know that?”

Flash’s eyes shot open. He nearly spat out his drink and forced himself to swallow, coughing in the process. “Ack! You’re asking me that question? You couldn’t have picked a worst possible option.”

“Why you say that?”

“I don’t know the first thing about rejecting someone,” Flash scoffed and shook his head. “Noooo thank you. You’d do better asking literally anyone else. Heck, you should probably ask a mare in particular.”

“Hm…think that’ll help?”

“It should,” Flask nodded, “Only a gal knows how you should speak to another gal to avoid making her angry. You know what they say--”

“‘Tartarus hath no fury like a mare scored,’” Tungsten recited the quote from memory with an audible shudder. “Brr…trust me, I know all about that.”

“Yeah, you got it. Might wanna seek out some advice from the perspective of a lady,” Flash suggested as he finished his mug and set down some bits on the counter. “Anyway, I need to go get fitted for my suit to get ready for the party. I’ll see you then, yeah?”

“Mm,” Tungsten finished his mug of cider. “Yeah.”

Afterwards, he left the pub and started to think hard. Just who would be good to ask when it came to romantic advice? Then again, it didn’t really matter who he asked so long as it was a mare specifically.

That’s when he realized; Flash was going to go get fitted for a suit. And the resident tailor in Canterlot…

“Ay, that’s it. Sassy Saddles,” he muttered to himself as he walked down the road to the Boutique. “I bet a lady like herself knows just how I should speak to one. Ayo, Flash, wait up!”

Both stallions entered the clothing store, and…it was surprisingly empty.

“Hello, gentlemen,” Sassy Saddle spoke up from behind the counter, “If you need help with anything, you’ve got my full attention. I just finished up the last few orders.”

Flash stepped forward first, “Good, cuz I have a suit that I had ordered in advance and--”

Sassy cut him off and immediately swarmed his body and wingspan with various lengths of measuring tape via her magic. “One second, sweetie…ah! That’s right. Right this way.”

“You’re gonna find some good stuff here,” Flash looked at Tungsten with a cocksure smile as he went to one of the fitting rooms.

Once Sassy had Flash squared away, she went straight to measuring Tungsten’s body. “Alright. Now for you…”

Tungsten knew there was no way of stopping a tailor that was this far in her zone, so he simply allowed her to work him over while he spoke.

“...If you have a moment, miss,” he began while she wrote his measurements down, “I’m actually in the need for a bit of advice. You see, I’ve got two possible gala dates, but I’m not exactly…interested in one of ‘em. How should I go about tellin’ her this?”

“Hm…twenty…sixty…” Sassy mumbled quietly as she finished up taking his numbers down.

“...Miss?”

Surprisingly, she had been listening the entire time.

“A gentlecolt such as yourself has a manner of speaking that eases the heart of a mare,” she replied while trotting off to the section of the store meant for stallions. “I believe she’ll understand you just fine if you simply explain yourself, Mr. Wolfe.”

Tungsten followed her and asked, “Is that really all there is to it? I mean…I don’t want her to feel terrible ‘cuz I rejected her.”

“Believe me, dear--I’ve dealt with my fair share of rejections,” Sassy lamented with a somber tone in her voice. “But, I’ve rolled with them and continued onwards despite still being single at this age.” She then put on a smile. “Hasn’t damaged my looks one bit, wouldn’t you agree?”

Tungsten did have to admit that she did seem pretty happy with herself despite her past rejections. It eased his concerns regarding how he should approach his own situation.

“Alrighty…guess that’s fair. And yeah, you seem pretty happy with yourself, Ms. Saddles,” he added with a smile. “I think I know what to do now.”

“Good. Mind standing upright for me?” Sassy was looking to compare his body shape to the materials. “Your hide is rather thick, so I’m looking for something to accommodate it.”

“Really now? I’d like to see that…”

One measurement and fitting later…and nightfall had risen over Canterlot.

“I’ll have your vest ready in time for the gala, good sir!” Sassy waved as the stallions left her shop. “Good luck with your date!”

“Thanks,” he replied as he trotted away with Flash.

“A vest? Really?” Flash asked.

Tungsten rolled his eyes. “You know I’m more of an old school kinda fella, right?”

“Pfft. Fair enough. So you know what you’re gonna do, huh?”

“I’m just gonna have to be honest,” Tungsten confirmed, “Can’t lie to myself over something like this. It’s only gonna hurt us all more later on. Gonna go speak to her right first thing in the mornin’.”

Flash stretched his wings and yawned. “Yeaaaah…I’m tired. Still gotta wrap a bunch of gifts to get ready to take to my family. See ya later, yeah?”

“Yup. See ya.”

And with that, the stallions split and retired to their homes for the night…

The next morning, at Honey’s home…

“Alright…I’m all ready. Mom should be here within a few--”

Ding-dong!

That was her answer right there. Honey opened the door to find her mother--an aged earth pony mare with an amber coat, blue eyes, a frizzled, gray mane and tail, and a blue hot air balloon as her cutie mark.

“Mom! You’re here!” Honey squealed as she hugged her mother, “It’s been ages since we’ve had time to talk, huh?”

Her mother’s voice was raspy, yet gentle, “Oh you’re telling me, Honey. It’s been so long…and you’ve grown up so much,” the older mare tugged on her daughter’s cheeks with her hooves. “Your business has been taking off very well, I assume?”

“Y-yeah…” she broke free of her mother’s grip and rubbed the sides of her face. “It’s been going great. I just finished rounding up all the flash bees in time for the winter season. Those little guys won’t have to worry about freezing their wings off.”

“Very good! Oh…ol’ Gear would be so proud of you.”

Gear Box was the name of Honey’s late father. Her mother’s name was Heli Oum.

“Yeah…he would, huh?” Honey lamented as she lifted up a picture frame that had been turned down. It was a picture of her as a filly alongside her mother and a green pegasus stallion that had his eyes covered by a pair of smithing goggles…

“He worked so hard for the Royal Guard as their blacksmith,” Honey continued with a sigh, “Can’t believe he just…fell ill and died out of nowhere like that.”

The older mare put a hoof on her daughter’s shoulder. “Really wish he didn’t keep it from us until the last minute. That stallion always prioritized your feelings above everything else.”

“Even so...I don’t wanna see anymore guardsponies disappear without being remembered,” Honey explained her ultimate goal in life. “At the very least, I want them to know that they’re appreciated so they can die with dignity.”

“A noble sentiment, love,” her mother encouraged her. “Their job is dangerous, and they never know what day will be their last. I’m happy to see that you aren’t blind to that.”

“Of course not…but if I can at least make sure the ones that stick around are motivated by the people like me…”

Her mother then recalled a conversation they had in the past. “That’s right. You said you were interested in one of the guardstallions. Number 74, right? How’s that working out for you, love? Have you spoken to him yet?”

“...I have…” Honey replied while idly kicking her hoof against the floor, “I’m planning to ask him out to the winter gala.”

“How sweet of you. Make sure he knows how you feel about him, okay?” Heli nuzzled the side of her daughter’s face while looking at their old family picture. “And keep this facing upright. We wouldn’t want Boxy to look down upon us with scorn by not respecting his visage, would we?”

Honey nodded. “You’re right, mom. Sorry. I just…I didn’t want Tungsten to see my old photos and start asking questions,” she looked at the floor with a shameful frown, “I’m worried that he might find out about dad and feel guilty…”

“...over what, sweetie?” Heli asked, “This is the same stallion that rescued us when we were in danger, isn’t it?”

“...yeah…”

“Then you should be willing to speak with him about anything. How do you think I even snagged your father to begin with?” the older mare asked with a chuckle, “Ah, Gear and I used to enjoy studying thermodynamics together…but we only managed because we were open and honest with each other. Do you understand that, Honey?”

Her mother was right. If she wanted to earn Tungsten’s trust and attention, she’d have to show him the utmost trust right back. And to do so, would require her to treat Tungsten with the same amount of respect that he had shown her.

“Yeah. I get you,” she gave a quick exhale and spoke with renewed confidence. “I think I can do this, mom.”

“That’s my girl! Now what dress do you have picked out?”

A few hours later…

Honey’s mother had left her daughter for a while to take a quick tour around Canterlot. During this time period, Tungsten was on his way to her home. His blood pumping, heart beating, and mind racing…

‘Alright, soldier. You successfully raided The Storm King’s armada and rescued your captive crew while blindfolded, bound, and gagged while using nothing but your sense of smell and spatial awareness. If you can do that, you can explain how you feel to a mare…”

But as he neared her home, he felt his heart beat faster and faster. The blood rushed through his ears to the point of nearly drowning out the sounds of all the other ponies that had been walking around the city nearby. Tungsten felt as if he was going to explode at any given moment. Until…

His target came out to greet him first.

Having seen him approach via her side window, Honey had opened her front door in order to say hello.

“Tungsten?! Oh…uh…hi! You’re getting ready for the gala too, I presume?”

“Y-yeah…” he muttered breathlessly, then exhaled, “...whew. That’s kinda-sorta what I wanted to come talk to you about.”

‘EEGK!’ Honey’s mind was ablaze as her heart fluttered, but she did her best to remain relaxed and composed. “I-I see…come on in.”

Once he was inside…

Tungsten took a deep breath. “...Miss Honey, I don’t really…”

“...You don’t what?” she stopped dead in her tracks and asked with a shaky tone of voice.

“...I don’t really know how I feel. About you I mean. You’re a nice mare and all, but…” Tungsten rubbed the side of his head while wincing and shutting his eyes. “Aggh…I’m terrible at this, ya feel? It’s hard for me to put into words what I think about you.”

Honey took a moment to try her best and understand his perspective. After all, she was dealing with a stallion whose emotions and capacity to feel them had been stunted due to the way his mother treated him throughout his early years. Which simultaneously made it easy for him to enlist in Equestria’s military.

No doubt, he had a hard time understanding his own feelings, let alone the feelings of others.

“It’s okay,” Honey replied with a nod, “I understan--well, I may not completely understand, but I get why you feel that way. There’s no need to force yourself to like me back or anything.”

Tungsten tried to swiftly clear things up with a panicked expression on his face. “N-no! I do like you, er…I think? Gah…I don’t know…I’m just not used to any of this.”

That caught Honey off-guard and caused her to tilt her head. “Wait…you’ve never known what it’s like to be…admired? Or romantically desired by a mare?”

“Nope,” he replied with a shake of his head, “Not really somethin’ I’m familiar with. I know quite a few ponies look up to me as a role model, but as a romantic interest? Never woulda thought…just seems like my job is too dangerous for a partner, ya know? As a guardspony, I don’t really have the luxury of knowing whether or not each day will be my last. Romantic involvement never crossed my mind…”

As much as she didn’t want to mention it, Honey felt the need to bring up an important detail from his past…

“Could it…have something to do with how your mother treated you?” she asked cautiously, “You don’t have to answer that if you don’t wanna, but I just…feel as though it might be related.”

Tungsten shut his eyes and let out a small, annoyed huff. “Hmph…yeah. You just might be onto somethin’ there. She kinda beat my feelin’s outta me when I was little. Guess that’s how I rose through the ranks so easily when I enlisted. Most of the other recruits were scared or arrogant. Me? I was…like a ghost. Felt nothin’. Wanted nothin’. Just focused on the orders and the mission.”

“...and that’s how you became Captain of the Rescue Team, huh?” Honey put it together. “...I’ll admit, I find that super attractive…but like I said before, I won’t force you to like me back or anything, Tungsten. I…I just want you to be happy.” She turned to that family portrait of hers. “...after all, it’s what my dad got when he got with my mom.”

“...that’s Major Gear, isn’t it?” Tungsten instantly recognized the stallion in the photo, and saluted it. “...I respect that stallion. We learned all about him when we took our blacksmithing course. Brave guy who got sick when he was poisoned by dragons…”

“So that’s what happened, huh?” Honey sighed, ultimately unsurprised by this news. “Shame…wish he could’ve met you now.”

Tungsten turned to her. “Hey…he’s raised a fine young lady. Both he and your mother should be proud.”

“...Thanks, Tungsten,” Honey replied with a sniffle as she turned away. “...that means a lot.”

Then he mulled over what she had said a few moments ago. The fact that she wanted him to be happy above all else. Something that had never crossed his mind…the feeling of someone else caring deeply for him.

“...no prob. But you were serious when you said that, huh?” he asked, “...about wantin’ me to be happy?”

Honey had wiped a tear or two from her eyes. “Well…yeah, of course. I…really like and care about you a lot, Tungsten. I swear to do everything I can to give you all the appreciation and admiration you deserve. Because darn it, I am sick and tired of the Guards not getting any respect.”

The boldness in Honey’s voice caused the stallion’s jaw to drop. “...Hot damn…” Tungsten muttered under his breath. He started to feel his heart expand and beat faster. “I…thank you so much, Honey. You’ve given me a bit to think about. But there’s a small problem.”

“...what’s that, Tungsten?”

“...Kemuri seems to feel the same way.”

“...”

The Melting Point

“I see…” Honey mumbled while thinking about and considering Kemuri’s feelings for a moment. “I can definitely understand it. Her family has kept her down quite a lot not unlike yours. It’s possible that she’s infatuated with you due to having similar experiences as you and the desire to learn more about pony culture.”

Tungsten sighed and nodded. Only now did he finally come to understand their feelings. “Yeah…I think I’m startin’ to get ya’ll. What do ya think we should do?”

“Well…”

Unfortunately, before either of them could continue, there was a feverish, impatient knocking at Honey’s door.

Taptaptaptap!

“...who could that be?” Honey trotted over and opened it…revealing the older, grizzled Navy mare.

“Lieutenant Charge?” Tungsten addressed her formally, “Somethin’ wrong?”

“74--we have a problem,” she addressed him by his callsign number, “A personal problem that I can’t explain while civilians are around.”

Tungsten looked at Honey with a regretful frown. “I suppose we’ll have to have the rest of this conversation later.”

“No problem,” Honey agreed in a casual tone. If one of Tungsten’s superiors needed him, then it must’ve been serious. Far more serious than what she was discussing with him. “See you later, huh?”

“Yeah, I will,” he replied with a small, half-hearted smile as he left her home…

Once the two Guardsponies had left outside and made their way away from Honey’s home, Nero would begin talking to him…

“Tungsten, my boy…I don’t want you to panic. But it seems that your mother was released from prison today.”

In an instant, Tungsten had worried, fearful expression on his face. His pupils shrank and his teeth started to chatter. His knees began to wobble as his heartrate increased. “...what? I thought she was sentenced for life!”

“That’s just the problem,” Nero explained, “She’s apparently being let out due to good behavior thanks to the rehabilitation program. It might mean that she’s finally learned her lesson and won’t be treating you or anyone else the same way anymore.”

But Tungsten wasn’t convinced. Fear wasn’t something that this stallion was so easily consumed by. Having fought multiple wars and dozens of creatures anywhere from 10 to 100 times his size, and routinely rescuing ponies from fires and other natural disasters, he had truly seen it all.

His own mother, however? That was the only thing across the various dimensions that struck true fear into this stallion.

“...No. I don’t believe it,” he muttered with a breathless tone, “There’s no way she’d change her colors all of a sudden. She’s pure evil.”

While Nero was sympathetic, she couldn’t rule anything out. “True. But it’s also possible that her time in prison has helped her gain a new perspective on life. You never know.”

Tungsten started walking ahead of her.

“Wait, where are you going?” Nero asked as she started to follow him.

“I’m gonna go see her,” Tungsten grit his teeth, “I can’t just let her walk free without seeing if she’s really changed for myself. Don’t follow me, ma’am. This is something I gotta do for myself.”

“...” Nero looked down at the snowy ground and stopped dead in her tracks. While she knew she should’ve followed him, she wanted to do her utmost to respect Tungsten’s wishes. “...I’ll come by later to check up on you, okay?”

But Tungsten didn’t answer. He simply galloped down the road towards the Southern wing of the castle where the dungeons were located. Sure enough, he could see his mother--an dull-orange, older unicorn mare with a grizzled brown mane and tail, bloodshot yellow eyes, and a frying pan for a cutie mark.

Once escorted out by a few of the guardsponies--one of which was Cantus--they left her alone.

She immediately laid eyes on Tungsten who was unable to even form a sentence as he stood there, staring at her.

“...Mother…?”

Suddenly, she approached him…and put her hooves around him in a hug with a sigh. “...I’m so sorry, baby…I never should’ve treated you so poorly. Please let me back into your life so I can make it up to you.”

Tungsten was unable to process what he was hearing. This mare was like a new person now that he had met her as an adult compared to when he knew he as a colt. Maybe…just maybe she had actually changed?

Against his better judgement, Tungsten dropped his guard and accepted her.

“...Mom…I’m…I’m glad to hear it.”

Unfortunately for him, the uncaring frown on his mother’s face when her head was resting on his shoulder indicated her true colors. She rolled her eyes in annoyance, and quickly changed her facade as soon as she let go of him.

“Come on. Take me to your home, son,” she said with a wide, forced smile that barely passed as convincing, but Tungsten was none the wiser. “Show me what you’ve accomplished after all these years.”

“Okay…come on,” he smiled half-heartedly. While he was overjoyed to have his mother back, something in the back of his mind was telling him that something about this was…off. But he couldn’t exactly put his hoof on it.

While the stallion was brave, he wasn’t the most intelligent when it came to interpersonal conflicts.

As they walked off, Nero watched from the road with a sigh. “...Huh. I guess…she’s better now, huh?” But a part of her refused to believe it as she stood in disbelief.

Just then, Flash Sentry was walking by with a wagon of winter supplies strapped to the saddle that he was pulling behind himself. Seeing an upset elderly mare immediately caught his attention and caused him to stop.

“...ma’am? Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine, boy,” she replied while shaking her head, then paused as she suddenly had an idea. “...actually. Can you help me with something?”

Ever eager to help out a commanding officer, Flash Sentry replied with a smile, “Sure! What do you need?”

At Tungsten’s home…

“...So…mom, what do you--”

CRASH!

Before Tungsten could say anything, his mother had pushed him up to the nearest wall via levitation magic.

“Dumbass, boy. Didcha really think I still cared about trash like you?”

With his fears realized, Tungsten shut his eyes and accepted his mistake. “...so you really don’t like me at all, huh? Why even come back, then? Why not just leave?”

“Because,” she let him out of her magical aura, “We leavin’ this place and you droppin’ outta the Guard.”

Stunned, Tungsten stomped his hoof in refusal. “Wh…no! You ain’t makin’ me do shit, ya hear me?!”

“Oh I ain’t makin’ you do nothin’,” the mare confidently scoffed…then--

SMACK!

In a fit of craziness, she smacked herself across the face hard enough to leave a bruise from her hoof. “Grrgh…how dare you hit your own mother?!” she fake-screamed and glared at him with a sinister smile as she laid out her terms to him. "What would everyone think if their amazing role model turned out to hurt his own mama? Nobody would trust ya."

“...No…you…you’re horrible…” Tungsten instantly knew what her aim was, and felt powerless. As if he had been transported back to his younger years, the stallion was unable to resist his mother’s will. The weakness of his heart had been reeled in like a fish with a harpoon.

“You’re the horrible one,” she clapped back, “Disobeyin’ yer mama like like that. Becomin’ a guard. Drove yo daddy away, and now look at you. Alone, covered in scars with no one who gives a flyin’ feather about you.”

Her words cut deep. Tears started to well up in Tungsten’s eyes. Not only was he unable to fight back against his mother, but part of him started to truly believe what she was saying.

“...M-me? I’m the reason he’s gone…?” he muttered while rubbing his eyes, “...and…I guess I am alone, huh.”

“And now his little punk-ass is cryin’ like a filly. Dry it up. Real stallions don’t cry,” the mare rolled her eyes unapologetically as she walked up to him and--

SMACK!

Delivered a backhanded smack with her hoof to the side of his face. “Shut yo ass up and get yer stuff so we can git outta here.”

“...” Tungsten forced himself to stop crying and got ready to turn to head to his room…

CRASH!

Until his home’s door was kicked down.

“That’s enough!” Nero screamed as she leapt in and tackled Tungsten’s mother to the floor. “As a former official of the Equestrian Military, I’m placing you under arrest, Bunsen Burna.”

Tungsten’s mother--Burna--cackled in response. “Oh really? And who’d believe yo old, scraggly ass?”

“Me,” Flash Sentry stepped inside moments later, gritting his teeth as he glared at the mare. “This situation’s been fully documented by multiple witnesses. Myself included.”

“And me,” Twinkleshine announced as she stepped into the home, glaring daggers at Burna.

Followed by Lemon Hearts, “And me.”

Then Atomic Nebula, “Spoken for.”

Then Leo Cantus, “That’s right, mate.”

Then Kemuri Kai Tan, “Add me to that list.”

And lastly, Honey Lodestar, “Damn straight.”

Most ponies would be stricken with fear with this much evidence levied against them.

But somehow, Burna continued to laugh even as Nero restrained her and made her stand up. “Wow! This lil’ boy has’ta get all these heifers to fight his battles for him. Pathetic ass--”

Tungsten’s ear flicked, and he stomped up to his mother, his hooves creating craters in his hardwood as he approached her. All he could manage to say, in a low, quiet tone was three small words:

“...Shut your mouth.”

“Excuse m--?”

Tungsten raised his voice over the course of his next statement. “I said shut your goddamn mouth you stupid, idiotic, braindead, disrespectful overgrown marechild!” He started sobbing as he continued, feeling his passion grow as he finally expressed his true feelings towards his mother. “You’ve caused nothing but shit for me and my dad! You tried to make me think I’m the reason he jumped off a cliff?! And to top it all off, you dare insult the only folks in my life who have treated me right?!”

Unable to process the fact that Tungsten was actually speaking back to her, Burna stuttered in disbelief, “W-wh…boy, you listen here--!”

“No, bitch! You listen here!” he cut her off while continuing to seeth as tears ran down the sides of his face, “I hate you! I wish you never gave birth to me! You’re nothing but a waste of space in this cruel, uncaring world! No wait--scratch that shit. I’m glad you gave birth to me because I can be the one to stop you before you abuse anyone else.”

“I…wh…” Burna couldn’t come up with a coherent response, so she simply said the first thing that came to mind. “...you gonna burn in Tartarus for this, boy! Just like yo limpdick daddy! Nobody likes you! You just a pawn who--”

Tungsten started to weep through his final words to her, his voice breaking as he stomped the floor once more. “Good! Because I’d rather be with him right now than listen to you anymore! Drop dead and become food for a bugbear for all I care! You’d be more useful as a literal pile of shit!”

And with that, Tungsten ran out of his home, brushing past everyone in the process as he cried and cried. For the first time in what felt like forever, he could finally let out his emotions…

Everyone who had arrived on the scene watched as the stallion galloped away, only to stare deadly, angry glares at his mother.

Amidst all this, Kemuri spoke to Honey. “...go to him.”

“...are you sure?” the beekeeper mare asked hesitantly.

Only for the changeling to reply with a nod. “...he needs you now more than ever. Please.”

“Okay…and thanks, Kemuri,” Honey replied with a smile as she turned and chased after Tungsten.

Meanwhile, Nero led everyone out of his home. “All of you, come with me to the princess. I need your eyewitness accounts of the situation to back me up. This mare is a menace to society…”

Burna tried to interject as she was being escorted in cuffs. “How about--”

“Can it, lady!” Nebula snapped as he used his magic to put tape over her mouth, “Nobody badmouths Mr. Wolfe and gets away with it. You may have given birth to him, but you’re not his mother! And don’t you ever try to call yourself such!”

Flash Sentry pulled him back with one of his wings. “...easy there, champ. Don’t get all worked up on his behalf. Tungsten would want you to be calm and stay strong. Right, Cantus?”

The larger stallion would add, “He’s right, mate. Let us handle the rest, eh?”

Twinkleshine looked at Kemuri. “Think Honey is gonna be okay?”

“Tungsten looked pretty banged up,” Lemon Hearts added with a frown, “Poor guy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him cry before either.”

“Nobody has,” Kemuri replied with a sigh, “Stallions like him often try to put strength before weakness due to their upbringing. We need to do a better job of recognizing these signs next time, huh?”

“I’ll try,” Twinkleshine replied, “It’s kinda hard to know what guys are thinking sometimes…guess that’s half the problem.”

“Their mental health is important,” Lemon added in a matter-of-fact tone, “I just hope this particular stallion is still curable. Maybe you should go join Honey, Kem.”

“...Wait…really?”

“Come on,” Twinkle quipped, “We’ve noticed how you look at him too. Now’s probably the best time to be there for him.”

“We’ll handle this court case,” Lemon encouraged her while pushing her away from the group. “Besides, the more support he gets, the better. Now go.”

Kemuri was unable to refute them. “...alright. I’ll go see what I can do.”

Hurt And Comfort

With Tungsten…

The stallion had ran off until he found himself wandering aimlessly around Canterlot. Wishing to hide himself away from everyone, he climbed a tree that was located on the outskirts of the city and took refuge in one of the branches. As a Fire Captain, it was pretty much the sole, surefire place he knew he could access and be alone--unless he was met with another stray cat of course.

But all he could do was sit there and contemplate his life up to that point. The anger he felt towards his mother, the sadness upon realizing she didn’t care for him at all, the embarrassment he felt upon realizing all of that happened in front of ponies that he knew, and the relief he felt knowing that Nero had taken her into custody.

All of his emotions hit him like a meteorite, leaving him staring off into space with an empty, neutral expression. As if he was barely alive…

‘...why…why am I here? What’s the point?’

Before long, he was joined by a familiar brown, red-haired earth pony. Honey climbed the tree he was in and sat on a branch next to him.

“Tungsten…” she spoke in a low tone.

“...I’m…I’ve realized something,” he replied in a quiet, almost ghostly voice. “All this time I’ve been trying my best to keep myself together. But…facing my mother again like I did when I was younger, I…I’m realizing that I’m nowhere near as strong as I think I am.”

“...What do you mean?” Honey asked with a hesitant tone, “I think you’re plenty strong, Tungsten. You were just overwhelmed by emotional trauma in a way that you had never experienced before.”

“...exactly,” he continued, “All because my emotions were buried so deep that I couldn’t feel anything. You know I haven’t cried like that in forever? I also don’t feel fear or excitement…hella, I don’t even get drunk enough to block this out.”

Honey froze, unable to think of what to say next. Instead, she simply opted to stay silent and listen to what he had to say.

“...In the end. I feel like my life is worth more to others than it is to myself,” he explained with a sigh, “I don’t…hate who I am, but I can’t say I like what I’ve become either.”

That’s when it hit her. Honey began to understand that Tungsten didn’t even value his own life as a result of the abuse and neglect from his mother. Was it possible that becoming a Royal Guard wasn’t even what he wanted for himself.

“...mind if I ask you something?” Honey replied, “...you became a Royal Guard just to get away from her, right?”

“Yea. I s’pose,” he replied with a shiver in his voice, “But…part of me, deep down--part of me was hoping that it’d be an easy ticket out of life in general. Maybe if I died…nobody would remember me, and the world would be better off.”

“...Tungsten…” Honey mouthed fearfully.

Then he went further with his stance on life. “...but eventually, I noticed that savin’ people and keepin’ ‘em happy was…fun. Somethin’ I wanted to do. I told myself that while I may not be happy with my own life, I could keep others alive and in their lives too, so they wouldn’t suffer.”

Honey nodded. “...I’m starting to understand you better now. It was initially a way for you to escape life, until you decided to help other ponies live out theirs.”

Tungsten didn’t respond verbally. He simply looked down at the ground with a forlorn frown on his face.

Honey climbed over and scooched onto the tree branch he was sitting on. She put a hoof around his body and held his head against her shoulder.

“...Let it all out, Tungsten,” she encouraged him while gently patting him on the head. “You’re not a machine or some magical supersoldier. You have every right to your sadness. And your happiness as well. Don’t let anyone take that away from you.”

“...”

This feeling…this sensation. Tungsten couldn’t exactly put it into words as the mare embraced him and held him against her. His eyes continued to well up with tears that he let out while sobbing against her.

“...No matter what happens,” she leaned over and kissed him on his forehead. “Know that you’re valued and loved. Not just by me, but by your friends, as well as everyone in this city. You’re amazing, Tungsten and you’ve earned that praise for how hard you’ve worked.”

“...I…I have?” he said in between sniffles as he looked up at her. “My life…has meaning?”

“Yes. However, I want you to start believing it for yourself,” she encouraged him, “I don’t have all the answers and I know your mother did a number on you emotionally…but I want you to love yourself, Tungsten. Look at who you are, and look back on your life up to this point and ask yourself this: Did I enjoy myself? Do I regret my decisions? Am I happy with what I’ve done for others?”

“...” Tungsten fell silent as he took a moment to think hard about those questions that Honey proposed.

“...You don’t need to answer me right away,” she shook her head, “Just…do that for me, please? Think about how much you’re worth to yourself, okay?”

“...” Tungsten replied with a nod.

“Okay…good. Want me to leave you alone or do you want me to stay here with you?”

Tungsten sat upright on the tree branch and clung to her, hugging her tightly as he spoke with a broken, yet grateful tone. “...stay with me, please. And…thank you, Honey…”

Honey put her hooves around him in return. “...No problem.”

Meanwhile…

Nearby, Kemuri had been walking around, looking for any sign of Tungsten and Honey. Eventually, she would spot them sitting together in one of the trees. With a relieved, albeit pained smile on her face, she’d wipe a tear from her face.

‘I’ll leave them alone...they deserve each other.’

Eventually, after sitting with Tungsten in silence for a while and contemplating what to do next, Honey hatched an idea.

“...Wanna take a walk with me, Tungsten?”

The stallion nodded silently.

The two left the tree and Honey started trotting away from Canterlot towards a hidden side of the mountain city. In reality, she wasn’t taking him anywhere in particular. She simply walked with him through the series of pine trees that had snow layered upon them--giving them the look and feel of Hearth’s Warming trees without decorations. It was a beautiful sight as the sky slowly turned dim and got dark--the stars visible in the sky were serviceable enough as lights for them to prance under.

As Tungsten walked with her, she turned and gave him a concerned look. “...are you feeling okay, Tungsten?”

He raised his head upwards and started to look up at the sky. “...I’m…fine. Better than I was before, actually. This place…it’s…beautiful.”

“Yeah…” Honey agreed as she looked upwards as well. “Sometimes when I feel confused or angry, I just…walk it off. It helps ease my mind when I’m on my own, ya know?”

“Hm…maybe I should try that more often,” he replied with a sigh, “Never really got to walk too much unless I was on patrol. That there’s a helluva sight…”

“Yup…no matter what happens, I can always count on nature to provide me with ample places to relax and let my mind wander. That’s why I love bees and other animals so much.”

Tungsten looked at her, and started to smile. A genuine smile from ear to ear. “...you…I…I think I’m starting to feel something. Something I don’t think I’ve felt before.”

“Hm? What do you think that might be?”

His heart started to beat twice as fast, uncontrollably so. “...I’m starting to feel…happy? Comfortable knowing that other folks out there care about me. Now that I know that, I’m starting to understand how precious life truly is. And I…I’m starting to accept myself…” He idly dragged his hoof against the snow. “...so, thank you, Honey.”

“...No problem,” she replied with a smile as her cheeks turned red, “I’m just glad you’re feeling okay, Tungsten. No matter what happens…I’ll always lo--”

Tungsten interrupted her, leaning forward…until his snout booped hers, causing them both to blush momentarily.

“...”

Suddenly, Tungsten leaned forward once more and pressed his lips against Honey’s.

Honey was taken aback by this, almost recoiling upon being kissed…but she leaned forward, accepting his embrace--not realizing she had applied enough force to push the stallion to the ground!

“H-hey!” Tungsten yelped, then chuckled upon hitting the snowy ground, “Getting a bit excited, ain’t we?”

“...With you, I’m always excited, Tungsten,” she replied while nuzzling against his abdomen. “As long as you’re happy…then I’m happy too.”

“...That’s the best Hearth’s Warming gift I could ever receive,” he said while smiling down at her. “You’re the best, Honey. Thank you.”

“...You’re welcome, Tungsten. I…love you,” she sputtered hesitantly, unsure if now was the right time…

But thankfully, Tungsten replied amicably causing her heart to flutter, “I love you too.”

Snowbattle!

The next day…

Atomic Nebula was busy training his choir group for his upcoming caroling tourney. Surprisingly, and somewhat concerningly, he had seen no sign of Tungsten yet. This was causing him a small bit of anxiety as he stuttered his way through the practice session.

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mom…Blue Blazes, you’re a little flat. Jumper Cable, you need to elevate your voice. Hess Tia, what are you doing, girl, come on…”

The choir members were quick to point this out.

“Is it just me or is Neb a bit more jumpy than usual?” Blazes--a male dragon--turned to Hess.

“Nobody’s seen Tungsten since yesterday’s incident,” Hess--a female griffon--answered.

Thankfully, they wouldn’t have to endure the orders of a jittery instructor for too much longer.

“Nebula,” Nero’s calm, yet cold voice cut through the crowd and caught everyone’s attention. “Can I get a minute to speak with you?”

“...sure,” he replied as he looked at his troupe, “Take five, everyone.”

A wave of relieved sighs and exhales could be heard as the choir members dispersed.

“What’s going on, ma’am?” Nebula inquired.

“Have you seen Tungsten today? I asked some of the guards and they said they hadn’t seen him,” the older pegasus mare explained with a concerned tone in her voice. “I’m worried that he might be in a state of mental distress.”

Neblua shook his head, then sighed. “...Nope. Really hoping he comes around soon. Then again, I haven’t seen Ms. Lodestar today either.”

“I see,” Nero replied with a nod, “Then it’s entirely possible that they spent some time together. I wish I could’ve figured out what to say to him myself, but dealing with his mother was the top priority.”

“Speaking of which, what happened with that pony-shape trash can?” Nebula spat, talking down to Tungsten’s mother.

“...We had her executed,” Nero admitted with a regretful tone, “Honestly wish we didn’t have to go that route, but it’s clear that she was going to make no efforts to improve and was just a destructive force waiting to strike again.”

To the older mare’s surprise, the young stallion replied without hesitation or mercy in his voice. “Good,” he said with a stomp of his hoof, “Good people out there like Tungsten don’t deserve to be haunted by such garbage.”

Nero’s eyes went wide upon hearing such a thing from him. “...well now. Seems his boldness has made its way onto you, hm? Not that that’s a bad thing. Just remember that--above all else--he needs to be treated with care and support in order to relieve him of his mental issues. Can you do that for me, boy?”

Nebula calmed down and listened to what she had to say. “Of course…I promise. Tungsten is more than just a role model for me. He’s a friend, and I want him to be able to smile above all else. Or cry, laugh--express himself however he wants.”

“Indeed…” Nero looked in the direction of Canterlot Castle. “...I’ve also left Princess Twilight some suggestions on how the Royal Guard should be treated going forward. They need more time off as well as in-house therapy so they don’t end up old, alone, and bitter like myself.”

“Don’t speak of yourself that way, ma’am,” Nebula insisted, “You’re a wonderful role model as well.”

“Maybe,” the mare rubbed the eyepatch on her face. “...but if I had the support Number 74 currently has, I probably wouldn’t need to smoke so much. Do me a favor and promise me you won’t enlist, okay kiddo?”

“No promises,” Nebula jokingly replied with a grin on his face, “But I’ll make sure I do what I can to avoid it at all costs. To be frank, I love my current position as a choir and band instructor. It’s just…fun.” Given that his cutie mark was three musical notes on a set of bar staves.

That’s when Nero thought aloud. “Fun…that’s right. I don’t remember last time Tungsten ever really let loose and enjoyed himself.” Then she looked at Nebula with a glint of excitement in her working eye, “I’ve got an idea, boy. But I’ll need you to be organized and quick about it.”

Nebula gasped at the prospect of being selected by a former guardsmare to carry out a task. “...ah! Yes…organization and keeping crowds in order is my specialty.”

Meanwhile, with Tungsten and Honey…

The two had awakened underneath the pine trees when they heard various birds tweeting and squirrels chittering as they rushed to prepare for winter.

“...guess we took a bit extra time than we thought,” Tungsten yawned as he sat upright.

“...Guess so, yeah,” Honey admitted as she rose to her hooves, “But it looks like our body heat managed to keep each other warm at least. Wanna start heading back?”

“Yea. Good idea,” Tungsten agreed. As they started trotting, a thought came into his head. “Oh yeah, the winter gala’s today--er, tonight. Wanna go together?”

“I’d love to,” Honey immediately replied, “It’ll be another chance we can get to know each other better.”

“Sounds swell…” Tungsten looked around at the snowy landscape that was before them as they made their way back into the main city. “Ah…you know this is taking me back to one of my halfway decent memories.”

Honey looked around, wondering exactly what he was referring to. “Really? Which one?”

“The snow,” he explained, “Back in high school before I enlisted, we’d always gather up and play in it. Build forts, throw snowballs, lay sieges…” He sighed as he recalled a fonder time in which he remembered when he actually felt excitement. “...was all fun and games ‘til we drafted. You either end up seein’ none of your old friends anymore or they move far away where you can’t reach ‘em.”

“Ah…I see…” Honey tried her best to comfort him by nuzzling her head underneath his chin. “Well don’t worry. If there’s a way we can--”

Tungsten’s ear flicked as he heard various voices shouting. Then, he quickly left Honey’s side and rushed towards the entrance to Canterlot’s Mane Street…

“Well I’ll be damned…”

As it turned out, the source of all the shouting and hollering was from various Canterlot citizens that were engaged in what appeared to be a citywide snowball fight! The entire street was covered in snow made by two forts on both sides. Several adult ponies, changelings, griffons, dragons, and other creatures were playing alongside children as well.

“Wow…” Honey muttered in amazement--eyes wide as she gazed upon the battle of frozen white forts and projectiles. “I haven’t seen one this big in ages. I wonder how they got this set up…”

“Me too…” Tungsten mumbled hesitantly as he felt that same, child-like sense of excitement flare up within his stomach. Part of him instinctively moved forward, desiring to join in, but his limb twitched, hesitating as he paused mid-step.

Honey could tell something was off due to the way he moved, and asked, “...is everything okay? Do you wanna maybe join in, Tungsten?”

The stallion was unsure as to how to express himself. Visibly concerned, he stared at the ground for a moment as he thought to himself. ‘...am I really gonna enjoy myself, or will it result in more trauma?’

Well, he wouldn’t have to worry about that for too much longer. Tungsten was greeted by the young Nebula who ran up to him, nearly out of breath as he begged for his help.

“Sir! I’m so glad you’re here! We’re being overrun and we need help!” he yelped with a faux-panicked expression on his face, barely hiding his excitement, “Our corner of the map where the adults are is nearly demolished!”

Naught but a few seconds later, Lemon Hearts joined in and called on Honey. “You too, Lodestar. We need your help! We’re down two players and our side of the field is almost gone! Minuette has some sort of snow spell she’s using to create stronger barricades,” she pouted with her cheeks puffed out from the sides, “Dirty toothpaste-lookin’ cheater…”

“...M-maybe I can help,” Tungsten squeaked in a low, almost inaudible tone.

“...you okay there, buddy?” Honey asked while rubbing the back of his neck. “Something catch your tongue?”

“...I can help!” he repeated himself with a louder, more excited tone with a wide smile on his face, “Yea, yea--we just…we just need better fortifications on this side. They won’t even know what hit ‘em, eh?”

“That’s right, sir!” Nebula cheered in agreement, “I’ve actually been working hard on this end here! C’mon!”

Tungsten eagerly followed after the young stallion, keeping pace with him until they arrived at their side of the field where they began to fortify their snowy walls and pelt their enemies with snowballs from behind it.

Honey was in awe for a moment, her heart fluttering about as she watched Tungsten truly enjoy himself for once. The smile on the stallion’s face was wide and genuine. His laughter was hearty and happy--enough to make her shed tears of joy as she watched her beloved simply have fun…

“Eeeegh…!” she squealed while repeatedly prancing in place, “Tungsten’s finally smiling.”

“You finally worked up the courage to talk to him, huh?” Lemon Hearts congratulated her friend, bumping her hip with her own. “I’m proud of you, ya know that? These past few months you’ve been unable to look at him without collapsing. Now? It’s like you two are two peas in a pod.”

“You think so?” Honey asked with a nervous smile while rubbing the back of her neck. “...I’m just happy for him more than anything. I mean, I love him…he loves me back…which is great. But knowing his heart can finally start beating again is what I’m most satisfied with. Now he can start being himself again…”

“That’s right,” Lemon agreed, “All thanks to you…and maybe the rest of us too.”

Honey couldn’t help but giggle and nod. “Well, yeah you’re right. I never would’ve talked to him had it not been for you guys supporting me. So thanks, Lem.”

“Yeah, that’s what friends are for--don’t mention it,” she trotted towards the snowfield and flicked her tail, “Though, you could mention it to Twinkleshine the next time she claims I’m lazy--”

Honey rolled her eyes and spotted Kemuri watching from nearby.

“Oh! Kem! You too! Wanna join us?” Honey asked as she walked up to her.

The changeling mare shook her head. “Don’t worry about me. I still have some errands to run.” She then put on a smile, “Go on ahead and have fun with your new coltfriend,” she teased her with a little hiss from her tongue. “Your love for him is quite sweet, so don’t fail him, okay?”

“Wow…you can sense it, huh?”

“It’s my job to,” she replied with a nod, “As the upcoming Changeling-Pony ambassador, I have to be able to sense everyone’s emotions. Tungsten helped me realize what I wanted for myself above everything else…so thank him for me, please.”

“I will,” Honey replied as Kemuri left.

“Hey, Hon!” Tungsten called out to her while cackling from behind a wall of snow, “Are you handy with snowballs? Could use your help here!”

“Yeah, c’mon!” Lemon shouted from behind a nearby icy rampart, “Let’s stuff Minuette’s minty-fresh face with snowballs!”

“Hang on, guys!” she called back as she galloped over to their side of the field.

And they all engaged in trench warfare. Snowy trench warfare against their enemies. On the opposing side, Minuette was accompanied by Twinkleshine, Lyra Heartstrings, and--

“Et, tu, Flash?!” Tungsten called out upon seeing the orange pegasus.

“Hey man, I was bribed!” Flash yelled back as he readied snowballs in his wings.

But before he could throw a single one, Tungsten had leapt from behind cover, stomped the earth in front of him with his front legs with enough force to make a large pile of snow rise up out of the ground which congealed into a ball that he’d perform a spinning dropkick in order to launch it up to Flash--all in the span of three seconds.

“MOTHERFU--”

BOOF!

Flash was launched to the other end of the street, landing in a pile of snow--unharmed, but spiteful with a determined grin on his face. “I’ll get you!”

“Woah!” Atomic Nebula yelped upon watching the snow carry Flash across the city. “Did you just launch that snowball with an enzuigiri??”

“That was more like a snow-meteor than a ball,” Honey snickered, marveling at how skilled Tungsten was.

Lemon Hearts was quick to correct her, “Technically, it’d be more like a comet--”

“Look out!” Tungsten ducked down, “I’ll handle the front!”

Poof!

Lemon was struck in the face by Minuette from the other end of the field. “Are you gonna talk, or fight?!” the toothpaste-colored mare shouted.

“You didn’t even gimme a chance to crouch down!” Lemon complained as she levitated the snow off her face and hid. “Down here I’m perfectly--!”

“--exposed!” Lyra shouted as she created a giant hand to throw a snowball at them from the side!

“We’re being flanked!” Lemon squealed.

“Ms. Lodestar!” Nebula called on her, “I have an idea. This way.”

Honey stood with him and prepared to fight back with more frozen ammo. “Okay…I’m with you!”

The Warming Of Hearts

The great snowball war that went down in Canterlot was recorded in history on that day. Well maybe not the actual history books, but it was certainly something that Princess Twilight recorded in her journal of, ‘Well That Just Happened’ on her desk. Though it’s much more likely that she was simply jealous that everyone else got to play in the snow while she had to stay behind and sign paperwork for the winter gala event…

Which was about to start in about an hour.

With Tungsten…

The stallion was preparing the black leather vest that he had ordered from Sassy Saddles. Nero was standing near the mirror to give him a secondary opinion.

“...think she’ll like it?” he asked.

“My boy, she’ll love whatever you put on…or take off,” the older mare teased with a wink.

Tungsten rolled his eyes and faux-gagged, sticking out his tongue. “Blech. Don’t embarrass me, moms,” he said with a chuckle, then continued, “Though…you were the one that organized that whole snowball war earlier weren’tcha?”

It was Nero’s turn to laugh. “Hm. Guilty as charged, boy. Of course I did. Well--I had Nebula do most of the running around to invite and inform everyone.” She flexed one of her wings only for it to crrrackle upon doing so, causing her to immediately retract it. “...yup. These old bones are past their prime. Once I explained everything to the kid, he was happy to help.”

“...He’s wonderful, ain’t he?” Tungsten added with a relieved smile, “Nice to know I’ve got folks who look up to me.”

“It’s more than that. I believe he sees you as a brother figure at this point, boy,” Nero added as she recalled Nebula’s determination to follow Tungsten. “I’m honestly glad he doesn’t wanna enlist though. The boy’s got a bright future ahead of him that I wouldn’t want bogged down by this position.”

“Well you know I ain’t gon’ quit, right?” Tungsten replied, “I’m in this for everybody’s sake. So kids like him can sleep safe at night without worrying about their homes burning to the ground around them.”

Nero patted him on his neck. “Of course. You’ve proven to me that you can rise up against these challenges and that you won’t suffer from it long-term. Just promise me that you’ll keep him out of trouble as much as possible, hm?”

“What? Not like I’m gon’ drag him into doin’ combat drills,” Tungsten replied with a scoff, as if taking offense to such a statement. “I thought you knew me better than that, moms.”

“...what’s with this ‘moms’ thing now?” Nero asked with a confused, yet appreciative tone. “...I don’t mind it, but…do you really see me as a suitable mother figure, dear?”

“You the only one takin’ care’a me here,” he replied with a casual shrug. “I appreciate ya. Ya know that?”

Nero looked up at him with a smile, then turned her head. “Ah…well, I do what I can, boy. For now, you should focus on getting yourself ready. You look dashing in that vest. Almost akin to what you used to wear during your Year 10 Academy days.”

“Aw naw, don’t remind me of that,” Tungsten exhaled with a small whinny, “Back then I couldn’t even talk to nobody without scarin’ ‘em away.”

“Putting a hoof around somebody’s neck and going, ‘Hey’ isn’t exactly the best way to do it,” Nero giggled as she walked towards the door. “But you still found a way to get through it in spite of that. Now are you prepared for whatever music Princess Twilight has planned for this event? You haven’t practiced a lick of a step, boy.”

Tungsten waved his hoof dismissively. “Pssh. I can handle anythin’ they throw at me.”

“You say that now…” Nero rolled her eyes with a smile as she started to leave. “Anyhow, this will be your first real date with Honey. Make it count, hm?”

“Of course, ma. Don’t worry,” he waved as she left and shut the door behind herself. Tungsten then took one last look at himself in the mirror. “Yea I think she’ll like this…”

A few moments later, Flash Sentry and Leo Cantus appeared at his door.

"Ey, bud! You ready?" Flash called out.

"C'mon, mate. We're gonna be fallin' behind the crowds if we don't mosey," said Cantus.

Tungsten turned to them with a smile. "Yes I am."

At Canterlot Castle…

At long last, the Winter Gala was finally underway. The ballroom was filled to the brim with well-dressed ponies and various creatures from all over who were dancing and grooving to music provided by Octavia Melody, accompanied by Vinyl Scratch who put a bit of an EDM-based spin on Octavia’s bass.

Lemon Hearts approached the castle wearing a simple white dress.

Next to her, Twinkleshine was wearing a pink and blue skirt with flowers adorning her mane.

Lastly, Honey Lodestar was with them, wearing a black and yellow dress. “...Hoo boy. Can’t believe my first date with Tungsten is already here.”

“Me neither,” Lemon commented, “You always seemed so nervous around him. I was wondering if you’d ever managed to talk to him without stumbling.”

Twinkleshine cleared her throat while glaring at Lemon. “Ahem…”

“Er, I mean--” she tried to quickly correct herself.

But Honey merely giggled in response, taking her words in stride. “It’s fine. You’re kinda right honestly. Before this, I didn’t think I could even talk to him. But now? Well…I think we’re gonna be okay together.”

“Pfft,” Lemon scoffed with a whinny, “Just ‘okay’? Girl, give yourself some credit. I think you two are gonna be together for a happy, long while. Right, Twinks?”

“Hey, for once, Lem actually makes a good point,” the white unicorn replied with a snicker, “Just hope Kemuri will be okay. She seemed to like Tungsten as well.”

“...Hm…” Honey mulled over that information as they entered the castle. “I think I’ll figure something out. You guys got your dates?”

“Nope,” Lemon replied as she pranced inside, “Running solo today.”

“Same here,” Twinkleshine said as she followed her friend, “Looks like Honey’s the only one of us with a date. I’m proud of ya,” she added with a wink.

Honey’s jaw dropped as she made her way inside. “...You guys…”

She’d eventually walk past Atomic Nebula. The young unicorn was wearing a dashing black suit and red bowtie. “Oh, hey, Nebula. Is the choir gonna be performing here tonight?”

“Hm? Nah, just hanging out with some of my friends from school,” he replied with a shake of his head, “None of us have dates so we figured it’d be better to just come as a friend group.”

“Seems like everyone has the same idea,” she replied with a chuckle, “Seen Tungsten around?”

“Hm? Oh yeah, I saw him a few--oh there he is,” Nebula spoke and cut himself off mid-sentence with his eyes going wide. “Wow, he cleaned up for this one.”

Tungsten approached Honey wearing his leather vest and put on his best smile. “...Hey.”

Honey’s heart began beating so fast that she could feel it in her ears as she stared back at him with a cartoonishly, squiggly smile on her face. “H-hey yourself! Er…you look great!”

“Yea, I tried,” he replied with a toothy smile as he took a closer look at her. “But that dress you got on is pretty clever I won’t lie. Bee colors do wonders for ya.”

“Oh…t-thank you…shall we dance?” she asked nervously while prancing in place.

“Of course--” he paused and looked at Nebula for a moment. “Hey, brotha. Thanks for all your support. If you ever need help with somethin’, lemme know.”

“Not a problem at all,” Nebula replied with a smile as he started to back away. “But I should leave you two be. Go on and have fun, yeah?”

And without another word, Nebula left them alone. Soon enough, Tungsten and Honey were in the middle of the ballroom dancing and spinning with each other to the electrical-classical combination of music that was being played for all to hear.

“...finally,” Nero commented from a corner of the ballroom. “That boy’s finally alive again. It’s a wonderful thing to see.”

“I’ll say,” Nebula added as he passed her by, “I’m almost jealous. There’s no way I’m capable of landing a partner like that.”

“Don’t worry yourself, boy. You will in time. Just remember--focus on what matters most to you and you’ll achieve what you desire,” she explained, “That’s the mantra Tungsten has followed--for better or worse.”

“Oh trust me, I got that no problem,” Nebula replied with a sigh as he watched Tungsten and Honey enjoy each other’s company on the dance floor. “I’m just…happy to see the guy I look up to enjoy himself for a change. It’s been a long time coming, ya know?”

“That it is,” Nero said with a nod as she looked out over the crowd and spotted a certain pink changeling dancing alongside her friends. “...whew. Yup. All crises have been averted. Go have fun yourself, eh, kiddo?” She encouraged Nebula while pushing him over to the ponies and creatures in his class, “You might just find out more about yourself too.”

“Wait wha--?!”

And on that Hearth’s Warming Eve, everyone came together to enjoy themselves without any fear or worry of a tomorrow. Honey Lodestar had overcome her fears and began to work towards crafting a relationship with her newfound lover. Tungsten Wolfe had finally started to feel his heart beat once more and made sure to take more time off from guard duty.

All while everyone from both sides supported them from afar, looking to see their love bloom…

"...wanna head back to my place when we're done?" Honey leaned in and whispered in Tungsten's ear.

"...I'd like that, yea," he replied with a blush.

“...and that’s why Tungsten Wolfe of the Royal Guard is the pony I admire. For his bravery, his courage, but most of all, his willingness to open up his heart to somepony else. I want to be that strong someday. Not just physically, but mentally as well.”

Atomic Nebula’s classmates clapped their hooves/claws once his presentation was finished.

“Well done, Mr. Nebula,” his academy professor, an older-looking forest green unicorn stallion with a monocle, spoke in an eloquent tone. “Quite the dissertation indeed. Truly elegant. You may return to your seat.”

The young unicorn went back to his desk--the freckles on his muzzle beamed alongside his wide smile.

And next to him, a gloomy-looking, young pegasus mare with a pale-violet body color, and a two-tone blue-black mane that was done with twintails that traveled down to her neck, turned to look at him--her gray eyes half-lidded and unmoving. Her voice was feminine, but deep with little change in tone or inflection, “...I felt that. You wrote that from your heart. Wicked, Atom,” she droned with a neutral expression. Her cutie mark was a purple primrose bunch.

“Thanks. If I grow up to be half the stallion Tungsten is, then I’ll be happy with myself,” he replied as he put his hooves behind his head in a casual manner.

“You have my dying, and undying support,” the young mare went on in the same neutral tone with utmost sincerity. "Your dancing was absolutely killer on that night."

“A bit morbid, don’tcha think, Grimrose? But thanks,” he replied with a chuckle all while a disgruntled griffon could be seen scoffing and rolling her eyes in the back of the classroom…

Thanks to Tungsten, Nebula had aced his final.